Between Breaths
by risingmo0n
Summary: Prompt for Ladrien sin to miraculous-prompt-trash.: When Adrien signed on to take a trip with his History class, he wasn't expecting to run into a certain bug along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Notes are at the bottom. I just wanna say a HUGE thank you to Amy for being the nicest, most patient, most helpful beta EVER! And Taylor for giving me permission to use her art as the cover :D

Cover image: nsfwtay . tumblr (.com) post/136593914800/the-real-sinners-here

* * *

"The _Ile de Re_. It's a beautiful island just off the west coast of France. It's rich in history, having been traded and fought for by surrounding countries since the early 1300's! The particular fight that we're interested in, of course, is the capture of the island in 1625, when the Protestant Duke of Soubise led a revolt against the King, Louis the XIII…"

The history teacher, Ms. Bustier, began pointing to a topographical map of the island she had taped over the board at the front of the class using a red laser pointer to point out specific areas that held historical significance to the lesson.

Adrien cringed in his chair, pulling his eyes away from the board to stare blankly at his open book. He always hated when she used the laser pointer. It was such a lazy way of teaching, why didn't she just point with her finger or a ruler like the other teachers? Why did she have to stand five feet from the board and indicate with the jittery red dot some beach where some old guy died? It was stupid. Laser pointers were stupid. That red dot was stupid. _He had to have it._

Shaking his head vigorously to erase the thought from his mind, he sighed. He had been spending so much time lately as Chat Noir he was starting to feel like a cat more than a boy. Yesterday, he had caught himself staring blindly at a butterfly in the bushes by the front entranceway to the school, watching as it fluttered from leaf to leaf. He probably would have pounced on it too, had his buddy, Nino, not elbowed him in the side, breaking his unnerving concentration.

It was not like the city was in any more danger than usual, either. In fact, it had been a good amount of time since the last Akuma attack. Yet every night, without fail, he suited up as the mischievous cat for a routine patrol with his Lady. Normally he would not patrol every night, maybe twice a week or more if his schedule would allow. However, after one night patrolling with Ladybug where she had let it slip she was having trouble sleeping, he had made the suggestion of increasing the amount of times they patrolled together, to tire her out more. At least, that was the reason he told her.

His lady was all he ever dreamed about, of course he would never let a chance pass him by to spend more time with her. He had hoped the constant interaction would eventually wear her guard down around him, maybe give him a bit of a clue to finding out who she was as a civilian. Not that he would ever invade her privacy, but he figured if he found out the secret on his own, on accident per say, that wasn't breaking any boundaries, right? And while he knew he felt more comfortable as his superhero persona, he never forgot how much pull his civilian life had. Having a super famous designer for a father, being the only heir to the family business and all its money, and being a rather popular part-time model probably did not help his ego, but if they would get Ladybug's attention, he would use _anything_.

Suddenly, the class erupted into cheers, some jumping out of their chair to show their excitement while others began enthusiastically talking to one another in fast, high pitched voices, hands waving and motioning about.

"W—What did I miss?" Adrien looked around wildly, confused as to why everyone was suddenly so thrilled to be in History class.

"Dude, didn't you hear? We're going on a field trip! For the whole weekend!" Nino jostled him as he slung an arm over his shoulders, grinning at him like a fool who had just won the lottery.

"O-Oh?" Adrien stuttered out, taken aback by the sudden and unexpected weight on his shoulders and the closeness of his best friend. What was so great about a field trip? They had taken them before to the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. They hadn't been all that exciting.

"Bro, you've got to be kidding me! Don't you get it? Three days and two nights with no parents. That means staying up all night—"

"Karaoke!" Kim cheered from the back of the class, getting a hurrah in response from a few of the others.

"Eating junk food!" Rose quietly exclaimed, blushing slightly as everyone's eyes turned to her.

"Telling scary stories." Juleka stood behind Rose, resting a hand on her smaller friend's shoulder for reassurance.

"Playing games!" Alya chimed in, Adrien turning his eyes to watch as she smiled down at the two boys.

"Yea, like truth or dare." Nino added, giving her a smile that must have been his attempt at suave, but only got him a scoff in response from his target, Alya dropped her smile and threw her eraser at him. Nino immediately dislodged himself from his blond friend while he tried to defend himself from the attack, chuckling as it bounced off his shoulder.

Everyone began talking over one another, the noise in the classroom skyrocketing as they excitedly chatted about what they thought was going to be the best part of this class trip, but there was one voice Adrien had not heard. Curious, he turned around in his seat again, this time looking for the girl who sat directly behind him. Expecting to find her yammering on with enthusiasm like the rest of his classmates, Adrien was shocked to find her asleep in her seat, head resting on her crossed arms over her book.

"She hasn't been sleeping lately." Alya offered in explanation, looking sorrowfully at her best friend, his obvious confusion at the situation having caught her attention.

Marinette's sleeping habits over the last few weeks had been slowly starting to effect her day to day morale. Alya had first noticed it when her friend had started adding a cup of coffee to her morning routine and was, surprisingly, showing up on time or _early_ to school. When she had asked why the sudden change, Marinette had simply stated ' _not sleeping_ ' and ended the conversation, not wanting to give any more details on the matter. Alya, being the understanding friend, didn't push for more.

Adrien looked on at the sleeping girl, worry clear on his face as he watched her steady breathing flutter the hair around her mouth. First Ladybug, now Marinette. He started wondering if there was some sort of Akuma going around causing people to lose sleep.

Before he could think any further on the matter, the bell sounded that signaled the end of class. Turning back to his desk and gathering his books into his bag, his attention was drawn back to his excited classmates as they all piled out of the room still talking about the trip. How amazing would it be to take a trip like this with his friends? To stay up late and play games, talk all night, and eat piles of junk food without a care in the world? But Adrien knew he was not meant to have these things. His life was not as carefree as other kids his age. He had a strict schedule to follow where almost every minute of every day was planned for him. Photoshoots, fittings, appearances, not to mention his extra curricular activities. No, he knew better than to get his hopes up. Besides, the chance of his entire weekend being free were one in a million. Or worse.

* * *

One in a million.

That was what he said. He assumed he would have had a better chance of picking out Ladybug's civilian self in a crowd than the weekend of the school trip being free of any appointments. Yet here he was, bag packed and going over his checklist of things on his phone while his driver pulled the car around front for him, Natalie rambling on about his father's expectations for him once he returned.

"And don't forget, on Wednesday, there's a photoshoot scheduled for after school, so you'll have to skip your fencing class—" Natalie said, never removing her eyes from her tablet as she scrolled through his schedule, making sure she had checked and double checked all his appointments for him.

"Natalie, I know. You've already said that," Adrien interrupted her, trying to calm her nerves while switching applications on his phone and smiling to himself as he scrolled through the missed text messages from Nino.

 _N- Dude, are you really gonna be able to make it?_

 _A- Yea! I_ _'_ _m on my way now!_

 _N- Sick! We_ _'_ _re gonna have a blast! I was able to sneak some serious junk food from my house. Dude, you_ _'_ _re gonna love it!_

The car arrived at the front gate, the gorilla of a driver getting out to open the door for Adrien as he descended the stairs, oblivious to his surroundings while he stared at his phone and laughed. Throwing his bag in first, he happily jumped into the back, feeling almost giddy as the euphoria of the upcoming adventure started to effect him.

He spent the entirety of the short car ride to the school texting back and forth to Nino about all the cool things they would do on this trip. It was not often that he got an opportunity like this and he was not about to miss anything.

When they pulled up to the front of the school, he could see Nino waving enthusiastically as he jogged up to the car. With a quick _'_ _thanks for the ride_ ' to his driver, he threw open the door and jumped out, bag slung over his shoulder and cellphone still in hand.

"Hey! Aw man, this is gonna be so sick!" Nino threw an arm around his buddy's shoulders, smiling like a fool as he steered Adrien towards the already loading bus. They met up with Alya and Marinette on the way, the latter of the two giving an extra large yawn as they walked up.

"Good morning, guys!" Nino waved to greet the girls, Adrien mirroring him and giving a small wave of his own.

"Good morning, Nino, Adrien," Alya welcomed.

Alya smiled as the guys made their way over to them, elbowing Marinette to save her friend from the embarrassment of showing her crush her tonsils. The girl coughed loudly as she was jabbed in the ribs mid-yawn, covering her mouth while she tried to regain her composure. Her face heated up when she noticed the worried look on Adrien's face.

"G-g-good morning, Adrien!" Marinette yelled, her voice hitching up at the boy's name and almost coming out as a squeak. Unfortunately, of course, this only caused more blood to rush to her already hot cheeks, setting her fate in stone as the blond boy continued to look after her with worry.

Through a stroke of sheer luck, the bus honked its horn twice, signaling all remaining stragglers to hurry and board. Nino took the lead, a certain bounce in his step as he led the group the few steps to the bus's door. The be-speckled boy was obviously the happiest in the class over the trip and had no problem showing it as he took the few steps up into the bus two at a time, giving Kim a high five once he made it to the top.

Adrien chuckled at the display. He was wondering if his friend's mood was contagious because as he took hold of the railing to the stairs, he could not help but feel a little bit of that giddiness himself.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

The bus dropped them off at the train station with just enough time for the teacher to pass out their tickets and make sure all were accounted for before they had to board. The three hour train ride to the small island was not as bad as Adrien had been anticipating, Nino made sure of that. The dark-skinned youth kept everyone's spirits high with impromptu Karaoke, which Kim got the most enjoyment out of, and tales of all the cool games he had managed to sneak from his house.

Everyone was keeping busy during the drive, all except Marinette, whose eyes closed the moment she sat down and had not so much as twitched the entire ride. Alya would check on her every few minutes, but the girl never moved, her slow steady breathing the only sign she was still alive.

Once the train began approaching the final station located on the eastern side of the island, the teacher called the classes attention and began reciting their schedule for the day. Since a large part of the day had been used in travel time, they would be starting the trip off with a quick lunch at the station's cafe, followed by a short bus ride to their hotel where they would be assigned rooms, two to a room, and be given exactly thirty minutes to freshen up and change before they set out to one of the Museums on the list of " _Historical Sights to See_ ".

As luck would have it, Adrien had been paired up with Nino as roommates. Once the two were given their key and the class was dismissed for their thirty minutes of reprieve time, the boys flew up the flight of stairs, threw open their door and immediately fought over the bed closest to the window. Nino won after effectively knocking his best friend off the bed with a pillow to the face.

Adrien, half-jokingly and half-grudgingly picked up his bag from the floor and placed it on the bed closest to the bathroom, beginning to unpack a few of his things as Nino unceremoniously turned his bag upside down on his bed and emptied the contents in one fell swoop. The amount of card games, small board games, and even video games that he had managed to smuggle from his house was astounding. The blond picked up a copy of Smash Brothers Brawl for the Nintendo Wii U and gave his friend a questioning look.

"What? Max said he was going to bring the console!" Nino defended, as he grabbed the game from his friend's hands and shoved it back into his bag. When the two started going through their stash, Adrien taking an immediate liking to a card game by the name of Exploding Kittens, there was a knock on their door, the voice of Ms. Bustier echoing through, letting them know that they had 5 minutes to be down in the lobby. Nino quickly hid his prizes back into the safety of his bag and secured it under his bed.

Once the two boys made it downstairs, the tour began. It was boring, to say the least. History had never been Adrien's favorite subject, but there was something about the gentle breeze rolling off the ocean and the quiet murmur of the other tourist groups that seemed to make the whole ordeal enjoyable. The group spent three hours walking along the edge of a ruined castle while the teacher went on and on about how a great battle took place here centuries ago. Something about Romans ruling the world. He could swear he heard something about the Dutch in there at one point.

It was not until the sun began to reach for the horizon that Ms. Bustier noticed the time. She gave a sheepish smile to her charges, brushing off the late time with an apology for having lost herself in the history of the island. Thankfully, they had not wandered far from the Museum and would easily be able to make it back to the lodge in time for dinner.

Dinner was served in the restaurant attached to the hotel. It was not five stars, to which Chloe didn't miss complaining loudly about, but it was different than most were used to, using fresh ingredients grown on the island and fish caught from the piers by fisherman earlier that morning. It was exactly what the group of teens needed after a day of traveling and trudging through history. The kids finished their meals, a few going for seconds, and were pleasantly stuffed and ready to relax. Ms. Bustier had struck up a conversation with the hotel's cook regarding their tour schedule for tomorrow, hoping for a little local insight on some of the more harder to get to historical sights, and Nino saw this as a perfect opportunity to spring his plan into action. His " _party all night while the parents are away_ " plan, that was.

He signaled to the closest classmates, Kim, Juleka, and Rose, and whispered something even Adrien could not hear. Once he was finished, the other three nodded and immediately began to spread their message like wildfire to the rest of the class. No sooner had Adrien deciphered the meaning behind his friends secrecy did he start to see the a few of his classmates excuse themselves from their tables, informing their teacher as they passed her that they were retiring for the night. Too absorbed in her conversation, she saw no issue with this and bid them a goodnight.

Over the course of the next 20 minutes, Adrien watched as, two by two, his classmates got up from their empty plates and went up to their rooms, supposedly tired out from the day and going to sleep early. Finally, all that was left was Nino, Adrien, Alya, and Rose.

"AWWW Man! I'm so tired!" Nino said loudly, stretching his arms above his head. As he got up, he gave a quick wink to Alya and turned to face their teacher. "Ms. Bustier, I think I'm gonna head up to my room. That alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course. Have a good night, Nino. Big day tomorrow, make sure you get plenty of rest," Ms. Bustier said with a wave of her hand, never pulling her attention away from the cook as their talk had changed from the island to their personal lives.

Nino grinned triumphantly and grabbed Adrien's arm as he passed by, pulling the blond boy out of his chair as we went. He stumbled to keep up the pace with his be-speckled friend as they went up the stairs, Nino practically bouncing as he walked the few steps from the staircase to their room. Their door was slightly ajar and an exceptional amount of muffled noise was already coming from behind it. When Nino pushed it open further, Adrien was confronted with the realization of what exactly had transpired downstairs.

Every one of their classmates that had left dinner early was now piled into their small, two bed room. It seemed Alix had been the first to find the bag hiding the games as she sat cross-legged at the end of Nino's bed with it in her lap, rifling through the treasures within as if she were looking for something in particular. Max, as Nino had mentioned earlier, had indeed been able to sneak out his Nintendo Wii U and currently was in the process of getting it hooked up to the room's TV with the help of Ivan. Kim and Juleka were sitting at the head of Nino's bed, going through a large binder that was filled to the brim with sets of lyrics, no doubt the songs that were on the Karaoke disk that was on the bedside table beside them. Nathanael and Mylene were sitting on Adrien's bed playing a card game that had little dwarves, spears, and swords printed on them, the box discarded on the floor, but unreadable at the angle it had fallen. Chloe and Sabrina were nowhere in sight.

"Finally! I thought we'd never get to relax," Alya's voice sounded from behind Adrien, Rose at her side as they looked into the room between the two boys to see what the holdup was.

"Well, don't you worry, your bestest buddy Nino will make sure tonight is everything you hoped it would be," Nino answered, bowing into a deep, low bow to imitate a knight in front of his princess, glancing up to the exasperated girl and giving her a wink for the second time tonight. Alya rolled her eyes at the show, pushing past him and into the room, but not before Adrien caught sight of the smile playing on her lips and the slight blush now warming her cheeks. Rose, obviously finding the entire encounter delightfully adorable, giggled as she followed Alya into the room, immediately taking a seat with Nathanael and Mylene and being dealt into their card game.

It was then that Adrien noticed a certain lack of cheer from the room. Like a light that had never been turned on and only now had he noticed just how dark it was in the room without it.

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien looked around, taking a few steps further into the room as he asked. Alya turned from where she had been bent over watching Max and Ivan.

"Oh, she wasn't feeling well about halfway through dinner and went to bed early. Girl hasn't been doing too great lately. All that lack of sleep is really getting to her," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Lowering her head in thought and worry over her room mate, Alya couldn't help, but remember the deep circles under her friends eyes when she'd excused herself from dinner earlier.

Nino could feel the atmosphere between his two best friends starting to take a serious nose dive and needed to think of a way to stop that. Fast.

"H—Hey, Max! How's that Wii U coming along? Need any help?" He asked quickly, stuttering over his words a little in his haste. Max lifted his head from where he was hunched over the console on the floor, giving Nino a surprised, but understanding smile as he replied.

"Oh, uh, no, I don't believe so. The collective effort between Ivan and myself should prove be more—"

"I got it!" Ivan exclaimed as the TV began to blare the menu selection screen's background music for Super Smash Brothers Brawl, characters bouncing idly waiting for their chance to beat the tar out of each other.

After Alix practically pounced on the TV's remote and immediately turned down the volume to a more reasonable level, the entire room erupted into cheers. As the group began to break down a battle plan for a small tournament, Nino glanced at Alya out of the corner of his eye.

His plan was working. Alya had lifted her head and was watching the rest of the room with a small smile on her lips. The worry and concern had not been completely chased from her eyes, but Nino was not about to stop yet. He would make her enjoy the night one way or another.

Adrien, too, was starting to feel the overall mood of the room lift his worries from his mind. Tonight was not a night to dwell on things he could not control, much less things he had no right sticking his nose into in the first place. That's right, tonight was a once in a lifetime chance to just be a kid and have fun.

As the first round of the make-shift battle royal was getting underway, the blond boy moved to take a seat on the floor at the foot of his own bed. He watched as Alix, Max, Ivan, and Kim chose their characters carefully only to bicker endlessly over the stage. This went on for fifteen minutes before Alix chose _random_ before anyone could protest further.

When the room filled with the sounds of _hyaaah_ 's and _aaaargh_ 's as the game characters brutally bludgeoned one another, Adrien felt a slight tap on his right shoulder. Looking up, he saw Rose smiling sweetly as she quietly handed him one of the opened bag of chips she had managed to sneak into her bag for the trip. He took the bag with a quick nod and smile of his own, popping a salty chip into his mouth.

The hours flew by as more and more people were eliminated from the tournament, some drifting off to play board or card games while most hung around and rooted for their favorite to win until it was down to just two. The final battle was to be between Max and Adrien.

Max, who was exceptional with any character in the game, was choosing to play it safe against the surprised veteran-like skill that Adrien had turned out to have as he selected his main choice: Star Fox. Apparently when you are confined to your room alone for most of your childhood, and homeschooled for the rest, you get pretty good at video games.

Adrien, still being relatively new to the multi-player game, had been using Link exclusively during all the previous fights. He had originally chosen him strictly because the Legend of Zelda games had always been his favorite, but after playing a few rounds with the sword fighter, he had realized just how perfect a fit the character made for his style.

According to the rules that Kim made up on the spot, the final battle was to take place on the map labeled _Final Destination_ , a short map with no obstructions or platforms to jump on or hide behind. A perfect setting for a 1v1 match.

The map loaded, dropping the two characters onto either side of the platform before a quick countdown began to flash on the screen. The buzzer sounded and they were off, Link immediately throwing a bomb followed closely by a well placed arrow to the sky. He knew Star Fox would have to jump to avoid the explosion.

The two were lost in concentration as they ducked and bobbed and weaved out of each other's way. All the while they kept a distance from one another, perfectly timed shots or a good use of bombs keeping their battle percentages slowly climbing.

The fight looked almost entirely one-sided as Adrien made Link use the grappling hook to grab Star Fox and drag him halfway across the map, bringing him within range of his Master Sword. As everyone prepared for what they thought was the inevitable defeat of their be-speckled friend, Max used his dash move to have Star Fox zip past Link right before the blade was brought down, stopping and turning on his heels behind the blond swordsman. Without wasting a second, Star Fox grabbed Link from behind and, using his defensive shield as a boost, turned to throw him off the map, blasting him with his laser gun when he tried to use his grappling hook to get back into the field.

An eruption went off on the screen, signaling Link's demise and the end of the battle.

"Wow! Way to go, Max!" Kim jumped from his seat on the bed as he pumped his arms in the air, crying out in excitement.

"Dude, how'd you do that last move?" Nino asked as he leaned over the victor, looking curiously at the controller for any secret buttons he might have missed.

"You both fought so well!" Rose cheered from her position at the end of Adrien's bed, raising the metal dinner spoon in her hand as she mimicked Kim's earlier display. Turning around to look at her, Adrien was baffled about the spoon until he noticed a nearly finished tube of raw cookie dough in her lap. He had always heard it tasted amazing raw, but Nathalie had absolutely forbidden it, stating that the possibility of catching salmonella or any number of food-related illnesses from eating raw foods was far too high for someone of his importance to take. Besides, he was a model. All sweets were almost entirely out of the question.

"Nice job, Adrien," Alya said, signaling for a fist bump. Adrien smiled as he raised his fist to hers, loving how this one night had made him feel so much closer to his classmates than he had felt all year. Normally Nino, his best friend and main pillar of support, was the only connection he would have to the rest of his class. But tonight, each classmate had made their own little effort to reach out to him. His mind wandered to the girl who was not present, the one he had noticed missing in the little things throughout the night. The way no one had jumped to challenge Kim when he had called himself the ' _best at this game_ ', or how no one had taken the lead to organize the tournament, which had left the group trying to find an order that pleased everyone for thirty minutes. There was no one falling off the bed in excitement after they had won a round. Well, there was that one time Nathanael scared himself off the bed, but he meant in a different way. A more adorable way.

Wait.

Did he just think—

"Oh dude! Weak!" Nino proclaimed loudly from his place on the floor between the beds. Alya turned her attention away from Alix, who had been showing her her family's heirloom watch, to looking at Nino beside her with a quizzical look.

"What is it?" She asked, slightly irritated having just had him practically scream in her ear.

"We're out of chips!" Nino explained, holding up the empty bag of Sour Cream and Onion chips for emphasis.

"Yea, we're getting a little low on soda, too," Ivan said from his spot beside Mylene on Adrien's bed. He reached over the edge of the bed closest to the wall and produced a half empty 16oz bottle of Pepsi, the last bottle remaining from the group's collective stash of goodies. The sound of disheartened groans echoed throughout the room.

"It's ok. I can go get some more for us," Adrien offered, standing up and stretching his sore muscles after sitting in the same spot for hours. He remembered seeing a convenience store just a few blocks down the main road when they were on the hike earlier this afternoon.

"Good lookin' out, homie! I'll come with you!" Nino made a motion to get up with him, but Adrien raised a hand to stop him.

"No, it's ok. It's just down the street. Besides, it'll be harder to sneak out if there's two of us." Adrien's quick thinking allowed him to come up with a cover story to keep Nino from joining him, waving his hands to emphasize his point for his best friend to stay where he was. It was not that he did not want the company, or that he was even going to be doing anything his friend could not know about, like transforming into Chat Noir, but he had seen how hard Nino had been trying to get closer to Alya all evening and now the two were finally looking cozy together, all scrunched up between the two beds and surrounded by blankets and playing cards. The two had been playing any two-person card game they could find once they were both knocked out of the tournament early on, keeping relatively to themselves and the blond boy could tell Nino was loving every second of it.

Adrien grabbed his bag from the space between the wall and bed and quickly dug through it to find his phone and wallet. He almost never kept his phone on his person since the only time it ever rang was from Nathalie. Or Nino texting him, but most of the time he knew when to expect those kinds of messages.

Using the rouse of having a hard time finding his wallet, Adrien quickly checked on Plagg. He had tucked the kwami into his bag when they had first arrived back from the tour, right before dinner. He had made sure to pack extra helpings of cheese, each day's portion safety sealed in ziplock bags since he knew Plagg had not figured out how to get those open yet. He chalked it up to the lack of opposable thumbs.

The little cat god was sleeping soundly in the empty cheese container, having pulled one of Adrien's socks in with him to create a soft bed. He gave him a soft pat between the ears before grabbing his wallet and zipping the bag closed once more. His kwami was not half bad.

Well, when he kept his mouth shut.

As he placed his bag back in it's safe spot beside the wall, Rose brought herself to the edge of the bed, catching his attention.

"Um, would you mind, maybe, getting more cookie dough?" she asked softly, her large blue eyes seemingly never-ending in her pale white face framed by pale blond hair.

"Oh, uh, sure. No problem," Adrien answered, a little taken aback to have those large doe eyes pointed at him. His answer earned him a sweet smile from the fairy-like girl and a thumbs up from Juleka from across the room. That was weird.

Before he could be assaulted with any more strange requests, Adrien shoved his phone and wallet into his sweatshirt pocket and was out the door.

As he walked downstairs to the lobby, he was not surprised to find the place empty. The lights had been dimmed to barely a glow, probably left on for guests who would be returning or even leaving at this ungodly hour, like himself. He made the short walk from the hallway to the front door, a wave of relief washing over him as the electronic doors opened automatically upon his approach.

Good thing they're not locked, he thought. I'd hate to have to go get Plagg to break out of here. As he walked through the doors, a grin split his face.

"Like a cat burglar." Unable to control himself, he snickered at his own joke and he pulled his hood up over his head, immediately stuffing his hands into his sweatshirt pockets to hide them from the cold. Making his way down the uninhabited street, he pulled out his phone to check his GPS, confirming he was going in the right direction. According to the map, he should only have to go straight for two more blocks followed by a sharp right. It shouldn't take that long honestly, and the cool air mixing with the salty smell from the ocean was making it rather enjoyable.

As he rounded the corner, he could see the bright lights of the convenience store shining just a block away. Suddenly, a girl bumped into his shoulder and rushed past him without so much as a hurried apology, her three friends following close behind as they ran in the opposite direction.

"This way! Come on!"

"I can't believe she's here! Are you sure it was her?"

"Definitely!"

Adrien watched as the local girls ran down the street and took a sharp left one block away. They don't look distressed or scared, he thought, so it can't be an Akuma. Especially this far out of the city, but they were definitely running after something.

While his curiosity was nagging at him to investigate, he reluctantly turned back to his path, steering himself into the small convenience store and quickly going through his mental shopping list.

After a few minutes in the store, Adrien had successfully bought two bags full of goodies. Aside from the few things he had been sent out for, he had also taken it upon himself to get snacks for tomorrow night's possible game night as well. He hoped his friends would not see it as presumptuous that he had prepared for something they had not exactly planned for, but he was enjoying tonight so much that he didn't want it to end yet. Besides, it was rare that they went on trips overnight so why not make the most of them, right?

With his bags in hand, Adrien left the late night shop and began making his way back towards the hotel. He was only half a block away from the convenience store before he heard a loud scream from just above his head followed by an even louder crash as a body fell from the sky and hit the ground behind him. Hard. He quickly turned around to find the source of the noise to be sprawled out on the concrete, rubbing its sore butt from the fall and muttering to itself about being so clumsy.

My eyes are playing tricks on me again, he thought. This usually only happened after a long night patrolling or a particularly difficult battle with an Akuma, but he had not been doing either tonight, and yet there she was. Ladybug. Or at least his mind was tricking him into thinking it was Ladybug. Flopped on the sidewalk. Complaining about her sore butt.

This could not be real, his lady was back in Paris, probably patrolling the night without him to tire herself out, as she had been doing every night for the past week. Yet despite the logical side of his brain screaming these facts at him, he could not turn his eyes away from the red and black spots decorating her thin frame.

"Ladybug! Where'd you go?"

"Come back!"

The voices echoed through the quiet neighborhood, bouncing off the dark houses and businesses from one street over. That's when it clicked. The girls that had run past him earlier. They weren't running from something, they were running to something. To where Ladybug was. And now they were going to come running here.

Quickly, Adrien combined the bags into one hand, using his now free hand to grab Ladybug's wrist from behind to try and help pull her to her feet. He trained his eyes on the block he had watched the local girls disappear down minutes ago.

"H-huh?" Ladybug stammered as she looked at the hand around her wrist, following the arm up to its owner, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head as they fell on the blond headed boy with the determined look in his eye. "A—Adrien?!"

"Hurry, Ladybug. They're going to find you if you stay here." Adrien kept his face away, scanning the horizon for any sign of movement. They were lucky to not have been found yet, but they needed cover and fast. Adrien felt the female hero pull herself to her feet, his grip on her wrist slipping until her hand laid firmly in his. He knew his face was heating up at the more intimate contact, but the voices growing louder kept his mind from going completely off track.

"There." He had spotted a small alcove next to the convenience store, most likely an alley that lead to the back entrance, and began to run towards it. He felt rather than saw Ladybug follow suit. They ducked into the narrow passage, finding a suitable sized dumpster just a few steps in that would give them enough cover to not be seen from the street. Silently, the two crouched down behind the trash, their hands still entwined and the voices still growing louder.

Adrien could feel his heartrate speed up as the footsteps grew louder, bouncing off the walls and echoing down throughout the block. There were more of them than had passed him earlier, running quickly past the alley way without a second glance and calling out to the others ahead, looking for any sign of their missing superhero. Seconds felt like hours as the two waited in silence for the group to pass them, watching as their shadows played tricks with the small bit of light that filtered in from the street lamps. He could barely hear anything past the pounding of the blood in his ears and his erratic breathing that he desperately tried to get under control. This was why he was startled when the sound of a frustrated sigh came from behind him.

"Stupid," Ladybug muttered under her breath, her free hand coming up to ball in her hair. "I'm so stupid."

Her words drew Adrien back from peering around the dumpster, looking at her honestly for the first time since he had made his presence known to her. She looked tired, even more so than normal. Her hair was a mess, both from the wind and her own gloved hand running through it. When she finally removed her free hand from her face,, he could see that her eyes were bloodshot and strained, as if even now she were fighting to keep them open.

"I can't believe I slipped." Ladybug closed her hand into a fist, clenching it tight and closing her eyes. "I...I shouldn't be out here in the first place."

Her voice fell down into a whisper as she placed the fist against her forehead. "Stupid. So… so stu-"

"You're not stupid, Ladybug," Adrien interrupted, the hand which wrapped around hers squeezing in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He placed the bags of snacks down beside him and turned his body so he could face her completely. His hand, now free, reached for hers to pull it away from her face.

Ladybug carefully looked up at him with tired eyes, their normal shine that reflected everything that was bright in Adrien's world dimmed and dull, masked by fatigue and something that looked too close to defeat. He felt his heart clench at the sight, his breath catch and his throat tighten, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and protect her from all that was wrong in her world. Because for someone that brought him so much joy, she should never be allowed to know sorrow.

"You're not stupid," he repeated, lowering his voice to barely a whisper. "You're amazing. You're smart and strong and beautiful."

He could feel his cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment, but he could not stop. Not yet. She needed to hear this more than he needed to shy away from humiliating himself in front of the love of his life.

"You risk your life every day to save people. You're kind to everyone, e-even those that don't deserve it. You're s-selfless and i-incredible..."

Adrien mentally kicked himself for tripping over his own tongue. His words, no matter how true, were not coming out as they should and ended up making him feel like a fool. Yet during his little speech, Ladybug's sapphire blue eyes had never once wavered from his, the distraught look they had once shown having been chased away by his words. The tightness in her posture and clenched jaw had relaxed remarkably and both of her hands still rested inside his own, showing no signs of wanting to remove them.

He swallowed loudly, feeling as though his tongue were drier than a desert, but knowing he needed to continue. He needed her to see, even if it was just a glimpse of what he saw.

"Y-You're so unbelievable and b-brave a-and you deserve the w-world." His stuttering was getting worse, and he could definitely feel the blush slowly encasing his face and neck, but the sight of how his words were affecting her, chasing away the darkness from her eyes, gave him strength. Strength to carry on until the corner of Ladybug's lips tilted up into the smallest of smiles. Such a small movement, yet it destroyed what little bit of courage he had left as if she had lifted a car over her head and threatened to drop it on him. He wouldn't have minded, honestly. Well, maybe a bit.

"Uh…D-did I…did I mention h-how b-b-beautiful you a-are…?" Adrien could not think, could barely breathe. What was he saying? How did he even get here? Maybe he had been knocked out and was lying unconscious on the side of the street. Maybe this a dream, because when Ladybug's smile widened and her soft laugh answered him, he knew this could not be real.

This had to be a dream. Another glorious dream.

"Yes, you did," Ladybug answered, making sure to keep her voice to a whisper so they would not be found. Adrien watched how her face lit up with the laugh, her cheeks glowing with a rosy tint and her sky blue eyes sparkling behind fluttering dark eyelashes.

This was it. The moment in his dream where he would always spill his guts, lay his heart bare for her to see, to judge, and where she would graciously accept it and he would wake up shortly after, the feeling of her love still coursing through his veins.

Adrien opened his mouth, ready to spill his heart, his hands tightening around hers as he pulled together what little courage he had left.

"Can I…ask you something?" he asked, his eyes never wavering from hers, the lump in his throat threatening to choke him before he even got out the full question.

Ladybug said nothing, but gave a small nod in response, her smile lifting just lightly at the corners. Her eyes continued to look at his, expecting, waiting, as if she knew what was coming, but had left it up to him to decide their fate.

With her so close, he could see the happiness across her face. It was in the way her smile broadened at his returned steady gaze. This was not the same Ladybug he saw as Chat Noir, or the same one that had ever been seen by any news reporters or post on the Ladyblog. This Ladybug was entirely new and only for him.

Just for Adrien.

"Can I kiss you?" Adrien felt his whole body tense once the question left his lips, his mind going blank as he watched the effect ripple through her. The smile that had once lit up her eyes faded to leave behind a look of shock. What once was a light rosy dusting across her cheeks blossomed into a dark red blush that enveloped her face right up to her mask. He could hear her swallow, her small pink tongue darting out to lick her suddenly dry lips. He watched the action in silent agony, wanting to claim those lips and wanting to do it five minutes ago.

Her hands spasmed slightly in his as she carefully pulled him closer to her, her eyes never wavering from his as she swallowed once more. His heart thundered in his chest for a moment before she gave him a small nod. Adrien felt his breath hitch in his throat as he realized what that small motion said. This was it, the moment he would wake up abruptly, ending his dream before he ever got to feel her lips against his. But this was no dream. There would be no alarm to buzz in his ear or Plagg to jump on his chest demanding food. This was it. This was real.

Slowly, carefully, he began to lean forward, closing the gap between them. He watched in awe as she closed her eyes and began to mirror him, leaning her upper body closer. Just before their lips touched, Adrien closed his eyes tight, his hands tightening around hers to more solidify the reality of it all.

Her lips were soft. And warm. And slightly wet from when she'd licked them earlier, but he was more surprised at how easily they fit into his. It was like they filled in all the spaces perfectly, like a puzzle piece snapping into place, so perfect and yet so strangely familiar.

The touch was gentle at first, their lips barely a whisper against one another, but when he pushed ever so slightly harder and felt her push back, the strong surge of happiness that flooded his veins was exhilarating. He could feel her bangs against his, her nose nuzzled beside his own, her hands holding onto his just as tightly as he held hers.

Before he pushed his limit, Adrien reluctantly pulled himself back from her lips, taking a much needed breath of fresh air as he did. The kiss was everything he'd dreamed it would be and more, yet while he wanted to stay closer, the last thing he wanted to do was overstep his boundaries. Despite it all, he was a gentlemen and he would never force a lady to do anything she did not want to do.

Still, despite having broken off the kiss, he couldn't bring himself to pull away entirely, resting his forehead against hers and keeping their noses just slightly touching, her warm breath tickling his already tingling lips. He carefully opened his eyes, focusing immediately on her parted lips before trailing his vision upwards. Her unfocused blue eyes were just barely open, their gaze focused on what he could only assume were his own lips.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it when he realized he didn't know what to say. What could he say? Thanks? Care for another? Something about the weather? Deciding against trying to be suave, Adrien decided instead to think about something else, like how suddenly he felt he needed a drink of water. Or a bottle. Or twelve bottles. The ocean wasn't that far, could he drink that?

Licking his lips to try and curb his thirst, he felt more than saw the reaction it had on his companion. One of her hands jumped in his and slid up to his wrist, grabbing ahold and pulling him minutely closer, their noses bumping again as he heard the tiniest sound escape her lips. Had Ladybug just whimpered?

As if to test the waters, Adrien returned the gesture and slid his hand up her forearm, slowly, tentatively, feeling the texture of her suit against his fingertips until he could hook a finger around the back of her elbow. Slowly, he used the leverage it granted to pull her closer, her hand brushing against his ribs and sending shivers even through his sweatshirt. Her touch was like fire as she trailed her hand down his side to finally rest at his hip just above his pants waistband, one finger slipping underneath his shirt to press against the taut skin beneath.

His mind was swimming in the idea of pulling her roughly against him and kissing her the way he had fantasized about, hard, rough, giving up oxygen in exchange for her tongue down his throat. But there was that small voice in the back of his head screaming how this wasn't a simple fantasy during Physics class. This was real, she was real, and he needed to respect that. Instead, he opted to copy his earlier movement on her other arm, slowly sliding his hand up her forearm and around her elbow, letting his fingertips drag lightly as he went until he had both his hands around the backs of her arms.

Her now free hand moved to press against his chest, her fingers spreading wide as she placed her palm just over his heart, his pectoral muscle tensing at her touch. Ladybug's eyes lowered from his lips to her hand, flexing her fingers slightly to watch how the fabric of his sweatshirt slid over his skin to follow her movement. Adrien sucked in a breath at the sensation, his eyes glued to hers as she stared downwards, but his reaction was not lost to her. His gasp seemed to give her enough courage to move her other hand down by his waist slowly upwards, her finger tips having wormed their way underneath his shirt's hem somewhere along the way.

She carefully slid her hand up from his pants waistband to the hip bone, her gloved palm sliding over the bone slowly, her thumb pressing down to outline the shape of it as it passed. Against his will, his hands seized slightly around the backs of her arms, pulling her closer as his whole body tensed at the feeling that her touch gave to him. It felt like something was spreading from the places that she touched, like a poison was seeping into him, urging him to lose control, to let his primal instincts take over, to just push her against the nearest hard surface and rut into her until she clung to him and cried out his name.

His mind was reeling as he refocused his eyes to hers, the closer proximity making it harder to see anything else in the alley way around them. She was still staring intently at her hand over his heart when he felt it, her body was slowly leaning closer to him. Her hands pushed into him with more pressure and two soft lumps joined her hand at his chest, pressing into him, so soft and warm.

The realization at what he was feeling hit Adrien like a ton of bricks, the sound it made in his head symbolizing the last of his resolve shattering into a million pieces as he ran his hands up over her shoulders, cradling her face and lifting her mouth to meet his. Hungrily, he pushed his lips to hers, their teeth clinking together painfully, but too far gone to care, using her sudden gasp in surprise to slip his tongue inside and explore.

Her mouth was so warm, her taste so sweet as he roamed her mouth with his tongue, a rush of courage hitting him when he felt her own tentative tongue join the fray. Sliding one of his hands from her cheek to the back of her head, he slipped his fingers into her hair, pulling it loose of its famous pigtail and reveling in the feel of the free locks flowing around his hand. Suddenly, his vision went white behind his eyelids as he felt a surge of energy shoot through his nerves, stemming from his hips.

Ladybug had pressed her thumb against his hip bone again, this time rubbing circles around it as the rest of her fingers massaged his side. The feeling was amazing and only destroying his control that much more, driving his tongue to move faster and his hand to ball up in her hair. It wasn't until he felt her other hand slowly walking its way up his chest underneath his shirt that he had to pull away from her lips, lifting his face to the sky to moan, forgetting entirely that they needed to keep quiet.

The sound of his groan resonated through her, her lust-clouded eyes opening lazily and falling upon his freshly exposed neck. Without a moment's hesitation, she dove forward, latching on to the spot where his shoulder met his neck with teeth and tongue. The sudden movement more than caught Adrien by surprise, throwing his balance off and sending him crashing into the wall behind him, his back slamming against the brick and his feet coming out from under him as his butt hit the ground, his head bouncing off the wall hard, causing the world around him to swim.

Ladybug was not going to be deterred that easily as she fell with him, the motion only pushing her breasts into him more and sending wonderful waves of the same energy her touch had generated before throughout his entire body.

He felt her hand use the momentum to shoot up his front, hiking his shirt and sweatshirt up past his chest as he marveled in the feeling of the suit's texture against his pectoral. Her teeth gave a hard nip to his neck causing him to moan in response, the hand he had left in her hair tightening its hold, scraping his fingernails against her scalp. She removed her mouth with a loud pop, looking at the large red mark she'd left in her wake as if it were her life's greatest work, licking it once, twice, before kissing it tenderly and moving to trail more kisses up to his jaw.

While her lips laid a trail of soft kisses up his throat, she couldn't help but open her eyes to see the fruits of her labor bared before her. Adrien's eyes were half lidded, his vision unfocused as he stared at the sky, his mouth open, puffing out shallow breaths through kiss-swollen lips. The sight made something in her lower stomach tighten, made her push forward to straddle his thighs, placing a knee on either side of his hips. The warmth that spread from the areas where they were joined burned her like a fire, yet she chased it, thrusting against his front and feeling the motion reciprocated, Adrien's own body jerking into her as a response.

The sensations running rampant through his body were turning out to be too much for him to handle, his body acting on impulse like a puppet having its strings pulled. He felt her rock into him, the ever growing pressure between his hips spiking at the feel of her thighs pressing down on his own, her weight so solid against him.

Leaning forward, Ladybug reclaimed his lips with her own, the kiss sloppy and entirely one-sided as Adrien did his best just to keep up, his tongue licked over her lips as she pulled his bottom lip between her teeth. After a few false starts, the two started to fall back into rhythm, Adrien meeting her forceful kisses with his own well placed nips of teeth and tightening of the hand in her hair. All the while, she kept pushing her body against his front, each brush of her breasts against his exposed chest sending a fresh wave of white hot energy through his nerves.

Adrien started to feel something building inside him, like a cup that was filling, constantly filling, threatening to spill over at any moment. He wanted it. He needed it. The thought alone was enough to drive him crazy, to force him to pull her mouth harder into his using his hand in her hair as leverage, to push his chest into her open hand with more fervor, relishing in the feel of her breath hitching at the sudden change.

He lifted his free hand to place it against the small of her back, pulling her body flush against his with a quick tug, rocking up into her with more urgency as he felt himself near the edge. He could feel his back straining with the building pleasure, his legs trembling and his movements becoming frantic, his hands pulling her so hard into himself he was sure he was bruising her, but it was not enough, not yet. He needed more.

Suddenly, Ladybug's hands were at his shoulders and pushing, using her superhero strength to separate them, their lips parting with an audible pop. She looked down at him with unfocused eyes, her lips still tingling and most definitely swollen, her whole body tightened like a rubber band stretched beyond it's limit, ready to snap. With the backdrop of the clear night sky behind her, Adrien could have sworn he was looking up at some sort of ethereal being descended from the heavens, sent to kill him.

His body was still ringing with the pleasure from earlier, but seeing her now, he could almost feel himself snap back to the reality of the situation. During his lust-filled state, he had completely forgotten to look for signs of discomfort on her part. Had he pushed too far? Had he crossed the line?

 _ **Be-Beep**_

The sound was so foreign, it took Adrien a moment to realize what exactly he had just heard. Then it dawned on him, coupled with Ladybug's sudden look of panic and the disappearing spots on her miraculous, her transformation was about to wear off, and judging from the lack of spots on the earring, she didn't have much time left at all. Had he really not heard that earlier? Wait, hadn't she? Did that mean that she'd been as far gone as he was?

"I—I need to go…" Ladybug said, having to clear her throat before she was able to finish her thought. Slowly, she made a movement to pull herself off him, using her hands on his shoulders to help push herself to her feet.

Her knees shook slightly, but otherwise she stayed standing. Her body gave out a pulse from between her legs, the feeling of him pressed against her lower abdomen still burning into her flesh like there should have been something there, visible to the naked eye, a brand of some kind.

Carefully avoiding eye contact, she reached for her yoyo at her side and began to lift it above her head, eyeing a particular chimney a block away. Just as she was about to let her arm fly, Adrien's hand grabbed for her empty hand, holding on tightly and demanding her attention.

"Please, wait!" He cried out, his own voice deeper and raspy, having not taken the time to clear his throat or his mind before she untangled herself from him.

Reluctantly, she turned her face to him, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of him. His hair was mussed from where it had been rubbed against the wall behind him, his lips were so red and kiss-swollen, his emerald eyes watching her, silently pleading for her to not ignore him, to not sweep him under the rug like it was a mistake. His shirt was still hiked up, but it had thankfully fallen to cover his chest, leaving his washboard abs exposed to the chilly night air. His pants had ridden down past his hip bones, giving her a dangerous reminder of what had just transpired. Did she do that? Her eyes, however, suddenly noticed the bulge in his jeans, even more prominent because of his pants having been pulled down and the way he was leaning backwards, somewhat sitting on the small of his back. Oh yea, she _definitely_ did that.

The sight brought a fresh wave of blood to her cheeks, her throat suddenly becoming extremely dry and tight, and that pulsing in between her legs demanding to not be ignored.

"P-Please…" Adrien could feel her eyes on him, inspecting him, and knew she saw how she had affected him, his arousal apparent to the world, but if he tried to cover himself now, he felt he would die from embarrassment. Besides, he didn't have that much time left.

"I…I want to see you again. I-I mean, can I?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers, watching as they made the slow trek back up his body to finally meet his gaze again, the state he was in obviously affecting her more than he assumed, the heat in her stare laid bare.

Ladybug opened her mouth, then closed it tight, not trusting her voice and not sure how to answer him. She wanted to see him again-hell, she didn't want to be done seeing him now-but another beep resounded from her earring, and if she didn't leave soon, she would ruin everything. Without any time to spare, she nodded. The small gesture lit up Adrien's face in the most wonderful way, his smile wide and his gorgeous white teeth gleaming between his well-kissed pink lips. His eyes shone up at her and made her heart flutter almost painfully in her chest.

"Tomorrow, b-by the boardwalk," he stuttered. His grip on her hand loosened, giving her the sign that she was free to leave and keep her secret identity secret for another day.

Ladybug quickly turned back towards her original task, lifting her yoyo back over her head-when had she lowered it?- and posed to throw. With a quick flick of her wrist, she felt the satisfying snap of her yoyo making contact, the string pulled taut in her hand. She moved to grip the string with both hands, but paused for a moment, turning her head slightly to the side, not making eye contact yet making sure her words would be heard.

"Till tomorrow."

And with that, she was gone.

Adrien stayed sitting against the wall of the alley for a few minutes longer, waiting for his body to cool down and his heart rate to stop threatening to kill him. He ran a hand through his hair, wincing when he passed over an exceptionally sore spot on his shoulder. Had he hit it when he hit the wall? Touching it gently with his fingertips, he could feel that it was not a cut or puncture, but the pain was reminiscent of something he'd felt earlier.

Now with a purpose, Adrien began to pick himself up off the ground, making sure to grab his discarded bag of snacks and drinks before sneaking out of the alcove, carefully checking that the coast was clear first, of course.

Slowly, he made his way over to the closest shop's window, the dark insides making his reflection that much clearer. There it was, clear as day, a hickey the size of a golfball at the junction where shoulder turned into neck.

Ladybug had marked him.

He was hers.

His face immediately flushed at the thought as he readjusted his shirt in an attempt to hide the brand, failing miserably and deciding he would just have to keep his sweatshirt on for the rest of the night. Zipping the aforementioned article up as high as it would go and pulling his hood back over his head, he resumed his walk back towards the hotel. He needed to think of a good excuse as to why he took so long getting snacks. And knowing Nino, it had to be air-tight.

He also needed to think of an even better excuse to get him out of gaming tomorrow. And there was no way he could forget an outfit to hide his new branding that now throbbed above his collarbone, demanding his undying attention.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

 ** _NOTES!_**

Sorry this took way longer than I expected, but since you were so nice to give me a prompt, I wanted to try and make it the best I could. This is the Ladrien level 4 COOKIE DOUGH part of your request. The level 5 BEACH part will be next.

I was a little worried I made this too sinful (since they are "kids") till .com showed me Ladybug and the Bees by BullySquadess and I realized I could go so much further than this! So prepare for the level 5 part to be much more sinful :D

Also! Big thank you to Hchano, LBC, Raven, Mich, Amy, Emi, Denise, Juliette, and Pilot for being so super awesome and supportive and putting up with my obsessive Ladrien feels and constant screaming during calls XD And helping me name this beast!

Please like the original post on tumblr at: miraculous-prompt-trash . tumblr (.com) / post/138655579698/is-it-wrong-to-request-ladrien-sin-4-5-with-the


	2. Chapter 2

More notes at the bottom! Just want to say thank you again to Amy for being the best beta out there 3

* * *

The night's wind sweeping off the ocean was cold and salty as Adrien waited on the boardwalk by the shore. He rubbed his arms with his hands as the chill air seeped through his hoodie, causing him to shiver slightly. With a quick glance at his surroundings, he gave a soft sigh before pulling out his phone, checking the time and noticing only fifteen minutes had passed since he had last checked.

In his haste to get Ladybug to agree to another meeting, he had forgotten some key details they probably should have ironed out beforehand. Things like time and exact location along the expansive boardwalk probably would have saved him from freezing to death like he was now. With another sigh, he put his phone back into his pocket and began his third walk to the other end of the boardwalk, his feet dragging with every step.

To get his mind off of his predicament, he let his mind wander to the day's earlier escapades. After returning so late last night, he had expected to be bombarded with questions the moment he walked into the bustling room. He was surprised to have not been missed at all.

Nino had kept himself pleasantly busy on his phone while Alya snuggled up to his side, asleep. Kim and Juleka had apparently taken control of the Wii U and were singing their hearts out to 'Wake Me Up' by Evanescence when he walked in. Rose, Mylene, and Nathanael had retired for the night, leaving Ivan, Alix, and Max to play a very intense game of ' _Exploding Kittens_ '.

Nino had greeted him with a wave, signaling with a huge grin on his face to the sleeping girl on his shoulder, to which Adrien answered with a thumbs up. His best friend's smile only grew wider as he looked back down at his companion, a small blush dusting his cheeks as he watched her even breathing.

Adrien crossed the room to the small mini-fridge beneath the desk, silently grateful they had gotten a room which had one in the first place, and began stocking it up with the goodies he'd bought. With the snacks all put away, he grabbed his bag from beside his bed and headed for the bathroom, using the excuse of wanting to change his clothes into something warmer.

He locked the door behind him before he placed his bag on the countertop, barely even having the zipper pulled halfway open before his kwami shot out, latching onto his face and giving a rather loud wail.

"Adrien! I'm starving to death! I'm withering away before your very eyes! I can't go on!" Plagg cried out as he rubbed his face into Adrien's cheek.

"Shhh, Plagg, be quiet! Everyone's still in the other room," Adrien hissed, as he finished opening his duffle bag and reaching inside for a bag of exceptionally aged gouda.

"Oh, please. Not like they could hear anything over that wailing Kim calls singing." The small cat made a disgusted noise before zipping down to grab at the cheese through the ziplock bag, making small, pathetic noises as he tried helplessly to get at his prize.

With a sigh, Adrien popped open the top and suddenly the room was filled with the retching smell of cheese. Before he could even think to reach his hand inside and remove the morsel, Plagg had already zipped his way in, picked up the decadent delight, and zipped back out to spin graciously in the air with a purr. Adrien watched with a smile as his kwami did his little 'happy cheese' dance mid air, stuffing his face full before attempting to hum to a tune all his own.

Now that his partner was otherwise sated, he could focus on prepping for bed in peace. Unzipping and removing his sweater, he carefully folded the article before placing it on top of the counter, followed shortly by his over and under shirts. As he moved to unbuckle his belt, he was stopped by a muffled voice above his right ear.

"Wha's sat?" Plagg asked, using his tail to point at a particular spot above Adrien's collarbone, his hands and mouth still full of cheese. There was a large gulp as he shoved what food he had left in his mouth down his throat. "Is that… _a hickey_?!" Plagg screamed.

Adrien's hand shot up from his waistband to immediately cover the spot as if he'd been stung, but the damage was done, his reaction only further cementing his demise. The cat's green eyes narrowed as a smirk split his face, watching as the boy turned toward the mirror to remove his hand and investigate the mark in detail.

It sure was a hickey, all right. Deep and dark, a purple line wrung around the outer circle and small dark red dots formed the golf-ball sized mark's center.

' _Ladybug's mouth sized mark._ ' Adrien thought, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he poked the blemish to investigate its level of soreness. Slowly, a pair of black cat ears and slitted green eyes slid into view above his shoulder, the corners of his devilish cheshire grin apparent despite half of his face still being hidden from sight.

"Ladybug did that, didn't she?" Plagg got his answer in the dark blush that blossomed across Adrien's face and crawled down his neck, his prodding finger stopping dead in its tracks. The kwami zipped out of arm's reach before his charge decided that he'd had enough of his playful antics.

"Figures. I mean, not like there's anyone else in that big empty head of yours," he said, shrugging his shoulders and returning to his cheese as if nothing new had happened.

"Wait…that's it?" Adrien asked, turning to his kwami with confusion and disbelief written across his face. "That's all you're gonna say? No mocking, no name-calling, no ' _bug bite_ ' puns?"

"Oh! ' _Bug Bite_ '! That's a good one!" The kwami laughed to himself, his tail flicking back and forth as he took another large bite. Noticing the blond boy was watching him closely, one eyebrow cocked and hands on his hips. Plagg sighed dramatically, turning his attention away from his dinner reluctantly.

"Listen, kid. You've had the hots for Ladybug since the day you met her. If anything, I'm more surprised you lasted this long without jumping her." The cat god snickered at the deep blush that sprouted again on Adrien's face, easily entertained by his charge's humiliation. "And hey, you kept me out of it. So kudos for that."

With that, Plagg tipped his gouda towards Adrien like it was a glass of wine before shoveling the remainder into his mouth in one large bite, the room filling with purrs as he floated around in glee, rubbing his cheeks.

Adrien turned back to the mirror, really taking in the image before him for the first time. His hair was a little disheveled after removing his shirt, the normally controllable bangs falling slightly over his forehead and the ends in the back flared out, which ended up resembling more of his look as Chat Noir than Adrien.

His eyes were wide, the green almost endless as his pupils were barely pin pricks in the void, the color only that much more vibrant against the red flushed skin of his cheeks. His usual dabs of foundation were gone, probably rubbed off during his earlier excursion.

After growing up in front of the camera for more than half his life, makeup had just become a part of him, like clothing or Plagg. He would never wear as much as he had to on shoots for everyday wear, that was just too much, but a touch of foundation and a little powder to take off the shine went a long way. And honestly, why shouldn't he like how he looked?

As his evaluation of the stranger in the mirror moved further down, his eyes locked onto the accusatory mark on his neck. It was like a beacon that brought him back to reality, it screamed 'Yea, that happened. Good luck trying to forget about it'. Not that he wanted to forget. He wanted to etch every second of it, every move she made in his arms, the way she answered the push from his body with a pull from her own, onto the inside of his mind and stare at it as if it were his own personal Mona Lisa. It meant the world to him.

A quick gust of wind pulled Adrien sharply back into reality, his muscles tensing as it chilled him to the core. Without paying attention, he had made his way back to the other end of the boardwalk, his body moving by sheer memory.

He sighed, his breath making a white puff of air in front of him as he pulled out his phone to check the time.

 **11:17 PM**

It had taken him half an hour to walk the length of the boardwalk, and still no sign of Ladybug. Was she coming? Had he been stood up?

' _No,_ ' Adrien thought, shaking his head violently. ' _She'll be here. I know she will._ '

A loud crash of the waves from the beach echoed in the otherwise silent night, drawing Adrien's attention. He watched as the waves turned white where the water churned and rushed to meet the beach, the sound drawing him closer till his shoes crunched unevenly on wind swept sand.

Looking out over the vast ocean, all he could see was darkness. The water was nearly black in color, the only sign of there being anything to see at all was the small splashes of white where the waves overturned and the bits of light reflecting off the street lamps from the boardwalk behind him.

Suddenly, there was a sound of feet displacing sand behind him. His heartbeat jumped up into his throat, his body tensing as he swallowed hard trying to force the jump back down. This was it. What should he say to her? Hi? Nice night?

His mind became acutely aware that the mark on his neck was clearly visible with his sweatshirts zipper pulled halfway down. He had originally done this on purpose, wearing the brand like a badge of honor, thinking she would find it endearing, maybe even erotic, but now as the moment was upon him, he second-guessed himself. Maybe she would see it as distasteful, or worse. What if she'd get angry over his flaunting it.

His hand quickly shot up to his hoodie's zipper, pulling it up as far as it would go, significantly raising his body temperature in the process.

Then, just as quickly as the sound came, it was leaving, heading further down the beach and away from him in what sounded like a hurried pace.

"Ladybug!" Adrien cried out, spinning around on his heels, a hand shooting out to try and grab her as he panicked that his moment of hesitation had cost him everything. But there was nothing. The beach and boardwalk behind him were empty.

A dog's bark echoed from just down the beach. The boy turned confused eyes towards the sound to see a small dog in defense mode, barking and baring its teeth to protect its master behind it. The man looked just as shocked as Adrien, his breath making little clouds of white near his mouth as his chest heaved. With a shake of his head, the man pulled on the leash of his pet and the two continued on their jog down towards the far end of the boardwalk.

' _False alarm,_ ' Adrien thought, his eyes watching as the stranger faded into the darkness. Straightening up, he brought his hand up to ruffle his hair, a light and somewhat nervous laugh slipping from his lips at his own reaction to the whole situation. He knew he was on edge, but this was ridiculous.

Another loud crash of the waves now at his back. Another soft crunch of sand beneath a shoe to his left.

Half expecting to see another passer-by out on a midnight jog, Adrien turned towards the sound, his eyes locking onto the oh-so familiar black spots set on a lithe red form. Even with the fifteen or so feet between them, her sky blue eyes shone like they were lit up, catching him in their trance.

It was her. The hero of Paris, the woman that had won him over wholeheartedly from the moment they'd battled their first Akuma together. The girl who always threw herself into danger and never thought of anything, but the safety and happiness of others.

It was Ladybug.

* * *

Alright, first off, I want to apologize for the MONTH it took me to post. I'm not going to give some stupid excuse, just know _ **this isn't all of it**_.

This is only the first 2k of what the original chapter was meant to be. Which is currently at 12k. Yea, I figured people probably would have been put off by the size to even try reading it, so I thought "Maybe if I break it up, it'll be easier for people to want to start".

You know, the whole "not everyone can read an entire 30k long book in one sitting" thing.

So, I'm going to post the rest in increments. Once a week till it's completely caught up to where it should be. At the same time, I'm going to keep writing the next chapters so that maybe there won't be another 4 week long gap in posts.


	3. Chapter 3

"H-Hello, handsome boy," Ladybug said, her voice a little shaky and out of breath. The new name had an instant effect on him as he felt his cheeks burn and his eyes grow wide, his hand that was still left numbly in his hair balling up and nearly giving him a bald spot on the side of his head.

"Hahahah h-hi, Ladybug." Adrien laughed nervously, releasing the death grip on his hair to let his hand drop to his side. He could feel his pulse beating throughout his body right down to the tips of his fingers, like a silent drum, his mind repeating her nickname for him like a chant.

 _Hand-some. Hand-some. Hand-some._

Quickly breaking eye contact, Ladybug looked around the beach, a small smile playing on her lips as she took small, unsure steps closer.

"You know, it wasn't easy finding you," she said, her smile growing as she turned her gaze from the boardwalk to the ocean.

"I—uh…" With a small cough, she cleared her throat, her smile faltering slightly as her eyes focused on the waves crashing on the shore.

"For a moment there, I thought…" Her voice trailed off, her smile falling away completely till her face look contemplative as she watched the water with intent focus. After what felt like an eternity of silence, she turned her face to look back at Adrien. Their eyes locked once more, her expression having lost its earlier light only to be replaced with a more worried, almost hurt look.

"I'd thought you stood me up," she said in a whisper, having stopped a few feet's worth of distance from him. If he had not been hanging on her every word already, the blond boy might have missed what she'd said. But her words didn't fall on deaf ears and he immediately felt their effect shatter his euphoria.

"Wha—no…No! I would never—I mean, I was looking for you!" Adrien took a hasty step forward, closing the distance between them to only four steps apart. Trying to emphasize his point, he gestured with his hand back towards the boardwalk only to realize that the ever-changing terrain of a beach and the not-so-pleasant wind that had been blowing all night had already blown away his footprints from earlier.

Ladybug's eyes followed the line of his extended arm, looking at the expanse of untouched sand then back to the panicking boy in front of her. Unable to stop a giggle from escaping her lips at the sight of how riled up her comment had made him. She brought up one of her hands to hide her amusement, her eyes closing as she laughed.

The sound made the corners of Adrien's own mouth quirk upwards. At least he'd lightened her mood, even if he hadn't convinced her.

Lowering his arm and straightening his posture, he let the smile light up his face as he took another small step towards her.

Three steps left.

"I'm serious, you know," he said with a hint of laughter. "I've been out here for hours looking for you."

Ladybug opened her eyes and lowered her hand, her cheeks now tinted with a wonderful rosy pink and her smile now firmly back in place. She gave a sort of coy look as she took a step closer herself.

Two steps left.

"And whose fault is that? Who was it that said 'by the boardwalk', hmm?" Ladybug teased, her head cocking to the side as she brought up her hands to make air quotes.

"Yes, well, we found each other, didn't we?" Adrien said with a dismissing wave of his hand, crossing his arms and leaning closer with a coy smile of his own.

"Though maybe next time we could meet somewhere a little warmer?" He was being gutsy, he knew that, trying to get Ladybug to agree to another meeting before this one had really even gotten underway, but there was no way he could help it.

He didn't want one or two midnight rendezvouses, she was the love of his life! He wanted to sweep her off her feet and give her his last name, but he would settle for another promised date. For now.

Ladybug's reaction was instantaneous, her hands dropping to her side and her eyes opening wide as she realized what he was asking. Adrien felt his heart give a tight squeeze, about to backpedal to save his life, when she took another step forward. Her face was now downcast, her bangs hiding her expression from his view.

One step left.

"What did you have in mind?" she said to their feet, her eyes never looking up as the words left her mouth, her bottom lip dipping in between her teeth to be gnawed on nervously.

Adrien stared with wide, amazed eyes at a Ladybug he had never seen before. The Ladybug he knew was strong, confident, always on top of things, but this Ladybug was shy, nervous, almost unsure. He felt his hands ball at his sides, the urge to reach out and hold her almost overpowering, but he needed to go slow, he needed to make her feel comfortable or else he would ruin everything.

' _Easy, Adrien. She's not going anywhere, take your time._ ' Adrien took a deep breath to calm himself, feeling his body relax with it as he took the last step forward, closing the distance between them.

The tips of his shoes were just a hair's breadth away from her own. The slight breeze coming off the water occasionally blew her bangs from her forehead, bumping the strands of hair against the fabric of his jacket.

Slowly, carefully, he moved a hand towards her own at her side, brushing the back with his fingertips and quietly rejoicing when her hand turned into the touch, allowing him to move down her palm till their fingers were interlocked together.

Now feeling the courage of her returned affections, Adrien smiled as he thought of all the things they could do together on their next date.

"Well, we could go to a movie, or I could take you out to dinner," he said, listing off all the ideas he had fantasized about doing with Ladybug since he'd met her years ago. Ladybug's laughter whispered up from behind her bangs, her free hand coming up again to cover her mouth.

"What?" Adrien asked, a hint of laughter in his own voice as he found her good mood contagious. She slowly lifted her face, her laughter lighting up her eyes, their close proximity allowing him to see the small freckles spread across her cheeks and nose that he knew were there.

"Can you imagine me going to see a movie all suited up as Ladybug?" She laughed again. "The press would have a field day."

Adrien laughed with her, the idea sounding more and more ridiculous as he thought of it from her point of view. Not like he could go strolling into a restaurant as Chat Noir to have a nice dinner, either. Well, not without some planning ahead of time, at least.

"Ok, ok, fine. No movie, then." He held up his free hand in a defensive posture, putting on his best mock-impression of being held at gunpoint. The two laughed again before they let themselves fall into a comfortable silence, Adrien staring down into Ladybug's blue eyes as a blush creeped its way onto her cheeks.

"I think it's for the best. About the movie, I mean," she said, her eyes never wavering from his as the corner of her lips lifted up in a smirk. Adrien looked on in confusion, raising an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude, but his smile never leaving his face.

"I just know I wouldn't be able to pay attention to it anyway." The flirtatious look spread across her face, turning her eyes from awe-inspiring to jaw-dropping, making her blush go from an adorable pink to a luscious red wine. The change made Adrien's heart leap back into his throat. If this was going to keep up, he might need to look into just moving it there permanently. With a deep swallow, he tried to push past the lump and keep his voice as steady as possible.

"O-oh? W-why's that?"

' _Well, forget steady._ ' He thought.

He could feel the blush growing darker on his face, crawling down his neck and making the mark just above his collarbone throb. This was the Ladybug he knew, the confident, courageous, down-right gorgeous valkyrie of a woman that made his knees weak and his brain turn to mush.

Ladybug began to lean closer, their faces already only a few inches apart, as she closed the distance centimeter by mind-numbing centimeter, rolling herself onto her toes to better accommodate for the height difference.

"Well, a big dark theater and knowing you'd be sitting right beside me…" She let her voice trail off, her free hand coming up to rest on his shoulder to steady herself, his hand instinctively going up to her waist to help, their noses touching just the slightest.

"I'd probably be pretty distracted. Wouldn't you?" She whispered the last few words, her breath ghosting over Adrien's lips and causing something in the pit of his stomach to tighten to an almost painful level. She was pushing his buttons in all the right places and it was getting to the point where he was not going to be able to be accountable for his actions.

The fantasy took hold of him nearly by force, the thought of having her sitting beside him in a dark cinema, the way she would muffle her moans to not draw attention, the way certain scenes would give him just a little bit more light to see the effect he was having on her.

When he noticed she was waiting for an answer, he realized he was having a hard time remembering the question. Closing his mouth and swallowing hard, he tried to make his mouth work, to form words instead of incoherent noises.

"Y-yea," he managed to choke out.

' _Wow, very articulate of you, Adrien. Woo her with words, why don't ya? Very smooth…_ ' He chastised himself in his head, watching as his lackluster response was not exactly what Ladybug had been hoping for, the disappointment apparent in her expression. Still, even with her previous teasing demeanor gone, she kept their faces centimeters away from one another, her breath warming his dry lips as she spoke.

"Adrien?" she asked, the hand that was still interlocked with his giving a soft squeeze to bring his attention back to her.

"Y-yes, Ladybug?" he answered. His stutter was going to be the death of him. That or the beautiful girl before him.

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" Her face looked annoyed as she asked and Adrien's eyes nearly popped out of his head as soon as the words left her lips.

"Can I?!" His voice was louder than he anticipated, but there was no way he could help it. He thought last night was a once in a lifetime chance. Sure, he had been hoping it was not, but this was Ladybug! The untouchable, the non-personal, the 'keep our identities secret even from each other' Ladybug he was talking about!

Had she been waiting all this time for him to kiss her again? He really wasn't that blind, was he?

His mental merry-go-round came screeching to a halt as he felt the hand on his shoulder slip over the crest and down his back, stopping with the bend of her elbow now pressed to the junction at his neck. The movement brought her body closer to his, made her breasts lightly press against his chest and even through the hoodie he could swear he felt the heat radiating off her.

"What do you think?" Ladybug whispered the answer, using the hand she had pressed between his shoulder blades to pull him into her, their mouths meeting in a clash of lips and tongue and one well placed moan from Adrien.

The hand he had on her waist slid to press against the small of her back, using it as leverage to pull her closer as he felt his final bit of restraint snap. If this was what his lady wanted, then who was he to deny her?

The kiss was frantic right out of the gate, Ladybug using her hand on his back to pull him closer, turning her head slightly to the side to get a better angle. Adrien's mind was tingling from a sensation overload as he did his best to keep up with the hungry kiss, his hand at the small of her back scrambling for purchase against the slick material.

He was just starting to get the rhythm when suddenly it was over, Ladybug pulling her mouth off of his and gasping for air, greedily sucking it in through her parted red lips. He hadn't realized how oxygen deprived he was till he took in that first breath. It burned his lungs and made him dizzy from the rush.

She released the hand she was still holding, bring her arm up to wrap around his neck and pull them close once more, her lips ghosting over his own in the softest touch, barely a kiss at all. Slowly the soft touches lingered longer, the force behind them harder as Adrien started meeting her lips with his own. He wasn't going to just stand idly by while his lady did all the work, he wanted to be an equal participant.

And that's when Ladybug chose to let her little pink tongue dart out, licking a line across his bottom lip and sealing it with another kiss. She pulled back with a smirk, bowing her back and pressing her hips tightly against his in the process, but the deed was done. Adrien slid a hand up to press against the space between her shoulder blades, pulling her closer as he leaned forward, his mouth waiting to catch hers in another heated kiss.

Without wasting time, her tongue slipped past his parted lips, immediately finding his own and coaxing it to join in the fun. The hand on his back slipped up his neck and dove into his hair. Adrien couldn't stop the moan that escaped his lips before Ladybug was already swallowing it down, the sound making her tighten the arm around his neck, her body sliding against his and causing a shudder to run down his spine in response.

They were like the waves that crashed at their feet. With every push from Ladybug, Adrien pulled to answer, the two creating a dance with their bodies and mouths that was only getting heavier with every new step they took.

Suddenly, Ladybug grabbed a handful of Adrien's hair and pulled, effectively separating their lips with a pop as she stared wide-eyed at something just above his right ear.

"Wha...?" Adrien's voice was deep as he tried to speak around his still tingling tongue.

With their kiss broken, he was starting to notice all the other sensations that the kiss had masked, like the feel of the fabric of her suit against his palms as he tensed his fingers against her back. Or the way she leaned into him for support, her new found height an obvious giveaway how she was teetering on her toes.

"We should go." Ladybug said, breaking the almost trance-like stare Adrien had on her lips. Before he could process what she'd said, she was already untangling herself from him, the sudden rush of cold air where there was once a warm body snapping him out of his drunken stupor.

"Huh? Wait…" Adrien whined, the loss of body heat sending a shiver down his spine. He reached a hand out to Ladybug weakly, hoping to pull her back against him, to bring back the sweet warmth her body had wrapped around him moments ago, only to grab air, Ladybug having dodged his open hand with a step backwards.

Her eyes finally turned away from whatever had caught her attention behind the blond boy, moving to look at his pitiful pouting face and instantly a giggle bubbled up in her throat. She tried to stifle it as she brought a hand up to her mouth, but the smile still leaked through her fingertips, giving away her amusement at the sight of him before her.

"Hehe, come on, lover-boy. We can't stay here." Ladybug whispered as she gave a nod of her head, signaling at something behind him.

He turned slowly, his eyes barely making out in the darkness of the night two silhouettes moving closer from down the beach. A runner and his pet companion. The ones from earlier, no doubt making a loop back around.

Suddenly, he felt Ladybug's hand wrap around his own, giving a slightly tug forward and away from the incoming intruder. Adrien turned his eyes back to her just as she turned on her heel and began to head back down the beach, dragging him with her.

"I remember seeing a lifeguard post not too far from here." She whispered, turning her face slightly to the side so that her voice would still reach him as she lead the way. "I noticed it when I was looking for you." She giggled again and Adrien felt his face grow warm from it.

"Yea, yea, rub it in, why don't cha'?" Adrien scoffed as he felt the corner of his mouth turn up. Another giggle from the super heroine and another throb of his heart.

' _And so we dance.'_ He thought, watching pleasantly at how the spots on her costume would bend and warp as she walked. He started counting them in his mind as he traced them up from her feet to her hips, his eyes going wide once he noticed a particular bit of news he knew wasn't featured on any post by the Ladyblog.

' _She has no spots on her…'_ He coughed, his thoughts causing a new wave of heat to flood his face and neck, his eyes never leaving her backside as he watched how it moved with every step, marveling at it's complete lack of spots.

He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that when Ladybug finally came to a halt, he unceremoniously collided into her back, almost sending them both toppling over onto the sandy beach. With a few mumbled apologies, Ladybug returned her attention to the matter that had stopped her in her tracks in the first place.

The lifeguard hut was tiny, barely one to two rooms, sitting on raised beams with a small deck and a ramp that led up from the side. There were no doors or windows, but there were openings like the building was unfinished, two windows set on either side of the centered doorway. A warm, soft light was flooding the surrounding area and giving a clear sign that the building was not unoccupied.

The sound of a dog's park alerted the couple that the ever encroaching threat at their back was still an issue and with a quick tug on their clasped hands, Ladybug quickly steered them both to the back of the lifeguard post. Once safely tucked between the raised boardwalk's cement wall and the back wall of the hut, the two crouched down behind a support beam for cover.

"Damn…" She muttered, her hand tightening it's hold on Adrien's as she peered around the beam. "I could have sworn the lights weren't on earlier."

"What do we do now?" Adrien whispered, instantly falling into Chat Noir mode as he watched their back. He felt her hand squeeze against his own, her nervousness nearly seeping through her suit and into the warm skin of palm as her fingers adjusted anxiously.

"I, uh—I'm not sure." Ladybug coughed quietly to clear her throat. "I was kinda just making this up as I go."

With his attention now turned back to the spotted hero, he could easily see how uneasy the whole situation was for her. Ladybug had been known to pull a rabbit out of her hat at times, or a _black cat_ during others, but she was always the one with the plan.

Adrien, as Chat, had become accustom to relying on her for that, being more than happy to just be a resource at her disposal, but this Ladybug was different. She didn't hide her flaws, or her quirks. She let down her impenetrable walls and for once Adrien was starting to think he was seeing the real Ladybug. The girl behind the mask.

He hadn't realized he was staring till she leaned back behind the beam, the profile of her face becoming more visible now that her pigtail wasn't in the way. Bringing her other hand up to her chin, she looked down at the sand at their feet with a thoughtful look.

"I wonder if there's a way to get inside without the guard noticing." She said to herself, her eyes flicking back and forth as she mulled over the options in her head.

"Why? What's inside?" Adrien asked, his thumb rubbing smoothing circles over the top of her hand.

At his question, Ladybug's wide blue eyes snapped up to look at him, instantly locking onto his green ones, a blush nearly bursting it's way across her cheeks and nose as the color of it tried to rival her mask. She opened her mouth to answer only to change her mind around the first word, moving to pull her bottom lip between her teeth to gnaw nervously on it instead.

She averted her gaze, choosing to turn back to her watch for the jogger as she peered around the beam, her next words barely a whisper that could be heard over the crashing waves.

"I was hoping _we_ would be." Her voice was low and hesitant, keeping her eyes trained on the spot down the beach. "I was thinking, after last time, it might be easier if we were…" Her words died on her lips as the sound of the runner and his dog finally started to get loud enough to hear over the wind blowing, or the blood pumping past his eardrums.

' _Alone_. _'_ Adrien finished her thought, finally connecting the dots from the not-so-subtle hints she'd been dropping all night. The flirting, the coyness, the lifeguard post, everything was leading up to the fact that Ladybug had been trying to find a way to continue from where they'd left off the other night.

The realization, paired with the recollection of last night and the now insistent throb at where his Ladybug-mouth-sized hickey was, made his blood nearly boil in his veins. His heart gave up beating all together and felt like it had died and left a fire in it's place, sending wave after delicious wave of heat through his body right down to the tips of his fingers.

' _Ladybug wants to be alone with me! Ladybug wants to be alone! With me!'_ Adrien kept repeating the words over and over. He still felt like this were a dream, but he didn't care anymore. She wanted this. She wanted _him_.

Spurred on by this new found awareness, Adrien felt his body begin to move closer, his free hand coming up to rest on Ladybug's adjacent shoulder while he moved to intertwine the fingers of their still clasped hands.

Before Ladybug had a chance to turn around, Adrien was already nuzzling his nose against the back of her ear. He lifted his lips to the lobe that held her earring and kissed it softly once, then twice, before carefully taking it between his teeth, sealing his lips around the lobe as he nibbled on the skin left exposed by the edge of the earring.

The effect was instantaneous as Ladybug's free hand shot up to cover her mouth as she squeaked at the surprising touch, her grasp tightening around their now laced fingers.

He let his eyes close as he focused on the task at hand, forgoing the small bites to lick the abused flesh, trailing his tongue down the back of her ear to the soft spot where jaw met neck.

"Adrien…" Ladybug whispered, her voice sounding pleasantly out of breath and slightly muffled through her hand, but still laced with concern. Not an emotion he wanted to hear.

Quickly, he sealed his mouth on the spot. Creating a combination of teeth and tongue as he began to find his rhythm, using teeth to nibble at the skin followed closely by his tongue that rubbed at the assaulted area soothingly. With every flick of his tongue, he could hear her quiet mewls slip out from between her fingers, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to hear more.

Snaking his hand up from her shoulder, he dragged his fingertips up her neck, past her pulse that was beating rapidly against her suit, till he found his prize. The edge of her suit wasn't very thick, but was sealed tightly against her skin and gave no opening for his prying hands to explore. Her kwami must not have been as fashion-forward as Plagg was, giving him the easily accessible front zipper and exposed neck.

Not to be deterred, Adrien tested the edge with a probing finger, pulling it slightly away from her neck before hooking the digit inside. Carefully he began to drag the material downwards, all the while testing it's resistance. It was stretchy, but not completely elastic. He could probably get it down to his desired point, but there would be no give for more. He could work with this.

As he slowly dragged the suit down Ladybug's neck, he kept up his ministrations on the point by her jaw, careful not to bite hard enough to leave a mark, but just enough to keep her pleasingly distracted. Finally, with the material as far down as it would go, Adrien opened his eyes, taking in how the suit was now completely off her neck, low enough to expose an inch of flesh at the junction where neck became shoulder.

He removed his mouth from her jawbone, giving one more lick as he pulled away, his eyes focusing in on his new target. Licking his lips, he could feel the spot in his lower abdomen tighten over the anticipation as she shivered beneath his gaze.

"A-Adrien, wait. Please." Ladybug's voice was pleading, shaking the blond boy from his lust-filled thoughts as he felt the first twinge of guilt stab at his heart.

"Ladybug?" He felt like his tongue was numb, his mouth burned as he swallowed past his incredibly dry throat. "I-I'm sorry, did I—"

"No, no. It's just…" Her voice was coming out between breaths, her hand still tightly clamped over her mouth as she spoke. "They'll hear us…"

Her voice sounded concerned, worried, almost panicking with fear that they'd be caught, but that only confused Adrien more. The jogger had long since come and gone, and the night guard, if he was there at all, hadn't made a peep the entire time. Besides, at their current volume, the waves were doing a good job at drowning out any sounds they made.

Probably feeling his confusion, she elaborated more.

"I'm…I'm not quiet."

And then Adrien's world was fire once again. The thought of Ladybug being a vocal lover suddenly filled his teenage brain with thousands of R rated fantasies. Ladybug moaning as he ran his hands over her unsuited body, Ladybug's arms wrapped around his neck as she cried out her ecstasy into his ear, Ladybug pinned against his bed as he made her scream his name over and over.

While the visions in his head played out like a bad porno film, Adrien, with his earlier fire now fully-rekindled, moved back to his original plan without delay. With the skin of her neck and shoulder still exposed, he quickly latched his mouth onto the muscle above her shoulder, wasting no time in sinking his teeth into the flesh.

His reward was in the loud moan that escaped her lips, barely stifled by her hand as he listened to her try to control her voice. Closing his eyes, Adrien went back to his earlier rhythm of teeth and tongue, this time adding a little suction to the mix as he used the sounds coming from the heroine as signals.

When he'd suck on the skin, she'd clench her teeth and breath in deep. When he'd lick the area with his tongue like a cat lapping at milk, she'd hum from her throat. But when he'd bite down just hard enough to feel the muscle between his teeth, she'd moan in the sweetest way, pushing her body back against his chest as her hand spasmed in his.

Adrien continued with his dance of lips and teeth and tongue across her skin as the feeling low in his abdomen began to build back up with every throb of his pulse. He felt like a tuning fork, every sound she made vibrating it's way through him and causing his entire body to react. If they weren't already kneeling down in the sand, he was sure his knees would have given out from under him.

Slowly, steadily, her moans began to grow louder, her body starting to shake as she gripped his hand so hard her knuckles turned white. She was like a rubber band being pulled further and further back, ready to snap at any second, and just the thought that it was because of him sent an almost painful throb to the spot between his legs.

He moaned into a mouthful of skin, the sound vibrating down her spine and sending her bowing back into him, her head lulling backwards to rest against his shoulder, one of her signature pigtails brushing against the exposed skin of his neck. She nearly lost her balance at the new position, Adrien sensing the shaking in her body growing in intensity due to this, and suddenly had a wicked idea.

With a quick pull on their joined hands, he effectively threw her off balance, sending her falling into him as her shoulder blades hit his chest.

Suddenly, Adrien's world turned white behind his eyelids. His heart gave a painful stab as it tried to nearly beat itself out of his chest. He was vaguely aware of someone with a deep, husky voice moaning loudly, albeit slightly muffled, but hadn't the brain capacity to think to check who it was. He felt the vibrations of the moan ripple through Ladybug as she pressed her spot-less backside into his lap again, rolling her hips in just a way that made that bright light flash across his vision once more.

He could feel the force of their actions building inside of him, like a cup ever filling as it grew closer and closer to overflowing. It took everything he had to not rut up into her with all his might, feverishly chasing after those white lights that danced across his eyes and the pleasant friction in his pants.

"Who's there?" A loud voice echoed from the lifeguard post as a flashlight's beam swirled around the area in front of the house.

Adrien's blood turned to ice in his veins, his movements frozen in place and his eyes wide, his mouth still securely sealed on the skin above Ladybug's shoulder blade and his body still tense with the ebbing pleasure. Nothing like a good scare to chase away a boner.

"Shit…" Ladybug hissed through clenched teeth, her muscles just as rigid as his own as her grip on his hand lessened.

Slowly, he withdrew his mouth from her with a wet pop, cringing as it sounded a million times louder than he knew it was. With his eyes trained on the swaying flashlight between the beams of the building, he began to carefully untangle himself from the spotted heroine, careful to keep his movements minimal. For both their sakes.

As he went to release the finger that was still hooked in the collar of her suit, something caught his eye. There, just above the hem where he'd tugged it down, a small red mark had started to appear on her freckled shoulder. There were small indents where his teeth had last called home, and a very dark maroon center where he knew he'd focused too much attention, but it all added up to one fact.

He'd marked Ladybug.

He'd marked her like she'd marked him.

The thought sent a fresh wave of blood rushing to his nether regions, his once cooling passion suddenly springing back to life. No pun intended.

By the time Adrien had snapped back to reality, Ladybug had regained her footing and was back in her earlier crouched position, watching with unwavering eyes as the flashlight continued to comb over the sandy beach in front of the hut.

She pulled her hand free and immediately reached for her yo-yo at her hip, giving it a quick pull and watching as the string around her waist quietly retracted back into the base. Adrien reached behind his back for his staff on pure instinct, only realizing his actions when his hand met with the band of his jeans and the bottom hem of his hoodie.

Before he could start to think of a Plan B, he felt an arm snake it's way around his waist, a gloved hand bumping into his as it slipped over his lower back and reached for the hip on the opposite side. His green eyes shot open as he stared down at the arm that was now disappearing on one side and the hand that was wrapping around his abdomen on the other.

"Hold on to me," she whispered, Adrien immediately winding his arms around her neck in response.

He watched as she raised her other arm above her head, yo-yo in hand, before with a flick of her wrist, the weapon went flying. Once the small object wrapped around a suitable pivot point, Ladybug's body tensed, the arm around his back pulling him securely into her side as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"And don't scream," and with that, she gave a small tug to the yo-yo's string and he felt a sudden pull as gravity fought to keep him from becoming airborne.


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, so, for consistency sake, they're still in high school, but I'm going to start acting like they're slightly aged up, like 16-17 ish. Also, huge thank you to amynchan,tumblr for being my awesome beta, and sorry if you find any mistakes during the sin parts, I don't get those parts beta-ed. Not everyone's comfortable with this much sin XD

Also, you have ariaricx,tumblr to thank for this being finished and more sinful than I planned.

* * *

He was flying.

That was the only way to describe it, honestly. The cool night air rushed past his mask-free face, weaving its way underneath his clothes and chilling his skin felt like flying. He had flown with Ladybug before, as Chat Noir, but as a civilian this was a first.

The rush was incredible, a constant fear that if he fell there would be no magical suit to protect him from horrible bodily harm. The fact that the only thing keeping him from having a very intimate relationship with the hard earth below was a strong, suit-clad arm wrapped around his back.

The scenery below sped past them as they swung on a pendulum arc away from the lifeguard's post and towards where the boardwalk and the marina met. With minimal effort, Ladybug tilted their momentum and brought them down to land softly on one of the protruding piers.

The dock was surrounded by small yachts and sailboats of all shapes and sizes. There were Dinghies with their brightly colored sails tied down for the night, speed boats with covers over there cockpits, and even a few house boats with their windows dark and exterior lights casting a glow that bounced off the even darker waters. The minimal light made the area hard to make out, but he could see the edge of the boards on the pier just a few feet in front of him, so at least he knew where not to step.

Ladybug moved to release her arm from around his back, giving another tug on the yo-yo's string before it zipped back into her hand. Finally, she turned to face him head on, her blue eyes seeming more stunning in the small bits of light that came from one of the many boats behind him. Her features were contorted to look worried, her eyebrows–or at least where he assumed her eyebrows were under the mask–were brought down to furrow the space above the bridge of her nose.

"You screamed…" she whispered, her voice trailing off as her eye contact never wavered.

"I-I…what?" Adrien asked, his voice slightly unsteady and raspy, his throat giving a painful throb as he choked past the last word.

"You…screamed," Ladybug elaborated, the corners of her lips tilting up just the slightest as the look of worry faded from her eyes. "Did I scare you?"

"No!" Adrien yelled, realizing his mistake as Ladybug's hands shot up to cover his mouth, his eyes going wide as his own voice echoed over the still water. After the initial burst of sound died down and no response from any screaming security guards were heard, he felt her lessen the force of her hands pressing over his lips.

"I'm sorry," he said through her fingers, his hands coming up to grab her own as he slowly lowered them from his face.

"It wasn't scary. Really. It was…" The wind blowing through his hair, the feeling of her side pressed into his from ankle to shoulder, her arm wrapped tightly around him, her fingertips digging into his side. It was– "…amazing."

The effect his words had on her were swift as the shocked expression from his earlier shout disappeared entirely, replaced with the adorable rosy pink blush he had come to love seeing blossom underneath her spotted mask.

"But maybe next time I could get a little bit more of a warning?" He felt his cheeks grow warm before he realized what he had said.

' _Wait a minute…did I just ask Ladybug to carry me again?_ '

His mind was reeling, his heartbeat racing as he desperately tried to think of a way to backpedal without making a fool of himself. Well, more than he already had. He knew his palms must have been sweating, making him grateful for the the first time that her spotted suit was between them.

Suddenly, Ladybug broke into laughter. Her eyes closed as her body shook with the force, a quick burst of the beautiful sound before she quickly tried to regain her composure. The act did wonders to Adrien's heart, but more importantly, to Ladybug's features.

While the laugh had now trickled down into a soft giggle, her eyes had opened to show a watery shine to them, her blush growing darker on the apples of her cheeks while her cherry red lips were still turned up into the most adorable smile.

The same smile that radiated the feeling of _home_.

"Next time, huh?" Ladybug teased, her voice now back to its earlier whisper. She cocked an eyebrow under her mask as she looked at him accusingly.

"I-I mean, I just thought, it'd be nice—"

"Alright."

"—if you wouldn't mi—wait, what?"

Ladybug giggled again, her hands slipping from Adrien's grasp, emphasis on the slipping, and moved to wrap them around his neck loosely. He felt her fingers intertwine behind his head, her thumbs playing in the short hair at the nape of his neck.

"I said 'Alright'. I'll warn you…" she watched him through heavily lidded eyes as she slowly leaned her body against him, the familiar feeling of her suit's material pressing against his palms as he placed his hands on her hips. "…Next time."

Her final words were a whisper that sent a wave of excitement and nearly crippling heat coursing through his body from head to toe. He felt his knees shake slightly, his hands practically itch to grab more of a purchase on her sides, and his mouth became unbearably dry.

He could feel the tension in what little bit of air was between them, but didn't know how to push it over the edge without going overboard.

Damn homeschooling! There was no course in ' _how to successfully woo a superhero 101_ '. Not that he would have wanted to learn that from Natalie to begin with.

' _Focus, Adrien!_ ' He thought, bringing his full attention back to the beautiful vixen currently leering at him from within his arms.

Her sapphire blue eyes looked stunning amidst all the red of her mask and the blood still flushed in her cheeks. Her lips were still tilted upwards into that mischievous smirk that would have sent any boy to his knees. Those full, luscious lips he so badly wanted to make his again.

Maybe she would want that too.

"Adrien?" Ladybug asked, her voice careful and sweet, hushed as she spoke softly into the slim space between them.

"L-Ladybug, c-ca-can I k-k-kiss you?" Adrien verbally tripped on almost every word, cringing at his own embarrassment and feeling the twinge of humiliation burn across his cheekbones. But instead of awkward silence, he heard Ladybug's sing-song like laughter quietly rise up from her sweet lips.

Using the leverage that her hands behind his head gave her, she pulled his face closer until their noses just barely touched, a hand now buried in his hair while the other pressed into the space between his shoulder blades.

"You're learning," she whispered, her warm breath ghosting over his mouth. He licked his lips in anticipation of what history told him was coming next, a small, goofy smile sneaking its way onto his face from the excitement.

He slipped his hands along the smooth texture of her hips, gliding them towards her lower back and pulling her closer to him, pressing her into him. With his eyes half-lidded, he tilted his head slightly to the side as he leaned in closer, watching with awe as the blue of Ladybug's eyes were swallowed entirely by the red lids on her mask.

The touching of their lips softly felt like lightening singing through his nerves. The kiss was gentle and light. It reminded him of the first kiss they shared just yesterday, hiding from her fans and feeling every bit like a dream as this one did. Except this one was different. His lips knew what it felt like to have hers press so hard into them that he knew they would be bruised later. His tongue knew what she tasted like. His skin knew what her teeth felt like. His body already knew that he wanted more.

Adrien kept the kiss slow for as long as he could, savoring the feeling of her practically melting in his arms. He used the hands at her back to keep her flush against him as his lips danced over hers. He would lay his lips on hers softly at first, just the slightest of touches, then pull back, reveling in how she tried to follow before he would tilt his head and surprise her with a new angle, his lips pressing more solidly on hers before pulling back again. Gentle teasing in a way he never thought he would be able to. Not with this wonderful, beautiful girl. Not with Ladybug.

And yet he was.

He kept this up for what felt like hours, the press of their lips growing harder and more frantic with each passing kiss. Suddenly, he felt the warm wetness of her tongue slide along his bottom lip tenderly, probing, testing to see if it would be granted access.

It was as if the floodgates were opened as Adrien quickly took the bait, his own tongue quickly slid past Ladybug's slightly parted lips and delved into her open mouth. The moan she made sent shivers straight down his spine, sent his hands scrambling at her back for more purchase as he tried to practically crush her into him.

The hand in his hair kept him from even thinking of breaking this kiss, not that he would dream of it of course, but the constant pressure on the back of his head spurred him on as he tried to coax her tongue to move with his. For once, it seemed he wasn't the one stumbling to keep up, Ladybug obviously reacting more to his touch and movements than inciting her own.

Another moan vibrated through the kiss as Ladybug's hand on his back balled into a fist, bunching up his sweatshirt and undershirt and exposing his bare back to the chill night air. The shock of the brisk air against his heated skin sent and unwanted shiver through his body, curbing his lust just slightly.

' _Man, now I get what she was thinking about with that lifeguard post_ ,' Adrien thought, wishing they had found a more closed off area before this got out of hand.

With his need for a warmer environment outweighing his need to test just how much he could make Ladybug moan with only a kiss, he opened one green eye the smallest amount. He quickly scanned their surroundings as best he could, seeing the boats in the dock but no structures, no buildings. There had to be something to protect them from the elements. Something–

Finally, he noticed one particular boat, a yacht, with no lights on and the driving quarters up top covered in a waterproof tarp. It was obviously being stored here and most likely had not been used recently. Meaning it was empty.

' _That'll work_.'

With great effort, Adrien pushed Ladybug away using his hands on her hips, just far enough that the sudden loss of body heat against his front chilled him to the bone even through his clothes. Their lips broke with a pop as Ladybug's eyes opened slowly, lazily. Her lips were still parted, looking more plump and red than ever before. The sight caused him to regret his action and forget exactly why he had fought to end the kiss in the first place.

"Wha—?" Ladybug's words slurred slightly, her arms having slipped from their place around the back of his neck until her hands rested weakly atop his shoulders.

"I—uh," Adrien coughed to work past the lump in his throat, his voice clouded with lust and deeper than he had intended. "I…I have an idea. Come with me."

He reached up with one hand to carefully grasp one of her own from his shoulder, giving it a single, soft squeeze before turning and leading her towards the edge of the pier, towards the yacht. She followed with unfocused blue eyes, her mask furrowing where her eyebrows most likely were as confusion began to bubble up through the fog of desire.

Once at the side of the larger boat, Adrien dropped her hand and jumped over the side and into the hull, landing with a muffled _thump_ of sneakers on wood. The yacht was a much higher quality than he had originally assumed. The deck was made up of what looked like real wooden flooring and the seats surrounding the edges were made from a plush, velvet like material that was most likely easily damaged by water, yet they currently sat with a pristine air on their wicker benches.

"Um…A-Adrien?" Ladybug asked behind him, her voice curious and concerned.

Quickly, he turned on his heel, embarrassed that he had been caught admiring the craftsmanship of a simple ship and leaving the love of his life stranded on the now vacant pier. Damn his father and his being brainwashed to admire well-crafted things. But as he looked up at Ladybug standing on the dock, her position slightly more elevated from his own, putting her a head or so taller than himself, he could not help but admire the craftsmanship that was that beautiful girl.

The pier's light shone from behind her head, lighting the edges of her silhouette in just a way that drew his eyes up her figure like a fish caught on a line. Her feet and ankles were so dainty that he wondered how they could deliver such intense blows of strength when she kicked off of buildings. His question was almost wordlessly answered as he followed the gentle curve of her calves into the swelling strength of her thighs.

He never understood why girls took the compliment ' _thunder thighs_ ' as anything but a remark on the beauty and strength that came with pleasingly ample leg muscle. And her hips looked more luscious and full because of them. How she kept such a small waist with such an hourglass like figure was beyond him, but he knew she was pure muscle underneath that suit. He had felt it first hand.

When he finally made it up to a few of his more favorite features, he felt a tightening in his throat and something closer to his core. She was not as full-figured in the chest department as some of the models his father employed, but they were the perfect size for him.

' _Just enough for a hand full…_ ' he thought, swallowing hard as he fought back the urge to reach out his hand and test his theory.

"Adrien?" Ladybug's voice broke through his thoughts, her voice now dripping with concern as her blue eyes stared down at the stock-still boy.

He felt the blush of embarrassment warm his cheeks as he snapped his eyes to hers, upset with himself that he had let that look of deep worry replace the earlier, much more desired, breathless one. She simply could not sport such a conflicted expression. Not if it were in his power to make her breathless once more.

"Oh! Uh, sorry, Ladybug." He laughed to hide his self-conscious behavior, reaching a hand up to help her down onto the deck. "Here, it's this way."

Tentatively, she placed her hand in his once again, taking his lead and jumping down onto the deck with a much more graceful movement than his own. Once back at the same level, Adrien could practically feel his palms itch to touch her, to feel the the texture of her suit against his skin, the gloved hand in his own not being enough to sate his hunger. Instead, he opted to hold himself back until they had reached their goal. Then, and only then, they would be free.

"So, what was it that you wanted to show me?" Ladybug asked as she swept the boat's deck curiously with her eyes, never landing on any particular point of interest. Adrien could feel the sly smirk split his cheeks as the moment of truth was growing closer. He had an idea of how she would react to his forward assumption that she also wanted to be alone, but he was not one hundred percent sure yet.

With great effort, Adrien released Ladybug's hand and walked over to the cabin's door located underneath the driving quarters.

"This…" Channeling a little of his modeling background and giving it a bit of a Chat Noir flair, he threw out his arm to make a spectacle of the door like a magician before a trick. "…was what I wanted to show you."

He lowered his hand to the handle slowly, watching how her eyes followed its movement. He felt his fingers slip into the slot that acted like a handle, his grin widening at the corners as he watched the realization wash over her face. Her eyes widened, her lips parted, and a blush began to form on the apples of her cheeks. This was the reaction he wanted, this was what he hoped for.

Quickly, he tugged at the door to slide it out of the way and reveal their makeshift love-nest, his anticipation spiking as his heart threatened to pound a hole through his chest, but instead of feeling the smooth glide of wheels on a track, his hand met resistance.

The door was locked.

' _Locked?!_ ' Adrien felt his eyes go wide as the realization set in, turning slowly, like in a horror movie, to look at his hand still on the handle. ' _Of course, it would be locked! Idiot! Who leaves an expensive boat like this unlocked?!_ '

He tried the door again. It gave a pathetic rattle, yet remained still very much closed. Letting his hand fall from the handle, he looked back to Ladybug, trying to form a comforting smile, but knowing she had already pieced together his grand master plan. His eyes met hers as she watched him with an unreadable expression on her face, the feeling of a nervous giggle beginning to boil up from his stomach.

' _What did I expect, that I'd just happen to come across the only boat in the marina that just happened to be unlocked? Shit!_ ' His eyes began to dart around the dock as he managed to look anywhere, but Ladybug. The last thing he wanted was to find out what kind of expression she would wear once everything set in.

Suddenly, Ladybug spoke up, her voice soft, barely a whisper, but solid and sure.

"I can help."

Adrien snapped his eyes to her, looking at her with disbelief and confusion. Help? Help with what? His naivety to the idea that this would all play out like a dream? His childish attempt to get the famous saver of Paris alone in a room with him? His never-ending embarrassment over the whole situation?

Those were all questions he wanted to ask, but what came out was something between a ' _huh_ ' and ' _what_ '.

Ladybug smiled in response to his verbal flub, turning her eyes away from him and looking down to her side as she reached for the magical yo-yo at her hip. Without another word, she threw the weapon into the air and took the oh-so familiar pose he had always seen in every akuma battle when the tides were just about to turn in their favor..

"Lucky Charm!" Her voice was louder than they had been using as of late, and it, along with the swirls of pink and red light, bounced off the dark water, echoing through the chill night air.

Just as the light began to die down, a key fell from its epicenter and plopped neatly into Ladybug's outstretched hand. Her face lit up as she walked over towards the cabin door. The polka-dotted metal slid in neatly and, with a turn of her wrist, they heard the metal click of the door unlocking.

"You know, this is the first time that my Lucky Charm actually gave me something I knew what to do with," Ladybug giggled as she removed the key from the keyhole. Using the string of her yo-yo, she tied it neatly beside her weapon so that it hung delicately from her waist.

"But…Ladybug, if you use your Lucky Charm, doesn't that, I mean, will you—" Adrien floundered for words. He knew what it meant to use her powers like that, but technically he shouldn't. Chat knew, but not Adrien.

"De-transform in 5 minutes? Yea." Ladybug finished attaching her yo-yo back to her waist as she finished Adrien's sentence for him. Her smile was still present on her lips as a light blush began to grow across her cheeks, her eyes still averted away from his.

Finally, she looked up at Adrien. Her smile had gone from unsure and innocent to feisty and flirtatious, the blush underneath her mask making her eyes shine and her kiss-bruised lips look that much more swollen. The sudden change left Adrien breathless, and that feeling of wanting to push her against the nearest hard surface and kiss her till she was just as breathless as he was had returned with a vengeance.

"I guess we'll just have to make these 5 minutes count," she said with a playful air.

Adrien felt his blood turn to fire in his veins. It was like the ground had just been ripped away from underneath him and he was helplessly falling while still standing perfectly still. He felt as if he was watching a movie, where he had no control over the outcome, but wanted to fast forward to skip the anticipation of waiting for what happens next.

He saw Ladybug turn her body towards him, her hands reach up to press against his chest. He wondered if she felt his heartbeat through his sweatshirt. He wondered if his heart was even beating anymore.

Slowly, she began to lean herself towards him, her eyes locked with his. It felt like time had all, but stopped. He felt her breath against his lips, felt the weight of her hands pressing into his chest, watched as her eyes fluttered shut mere inches from his face. When he felt her lips press into his, it was like a shock of electricity stronger than he'd ever felt. It shot through his body, made his hands turn into fists, his toes clench in his shoes, and his stomach tighten to an almost painful level.

It wasn't a kiss like they'd had before. It wasn't slow and passionate, or fast and hungry. It wasn't even really a kiss yet. Just a press of her lips against his. It wasn't what she wanted, it couldn't have been, because it definitely wasn't what he wanted. That was for sure.

Before he knew what he was doing, he felt his eyes slide shut and his tongue dart out to lick at her lips just lightly, just enough to say ' _I want this, too_ '.

He felt her hands ball into the fabric below his shoulders, by the drawstrings of his hood, and with a sudden yank and quick push, he found himself pressed against the inside of the doorframe, the thin metal of the frame digging into his spine and the back of his head.

It was jarring to be moved so quickly and effortlessly, but he wasn't given time to focus on it because Ladybug was making damn sure she was the center of his attention.

Her lips were moving now, faster than before, and harder. He could feel her tongue pry open his lips and delve inside his mouth, quickly moving back and forth and sending a fresh wave of electricity every time it would touch his own. Her fists were pushing him back into the frame, her body flush against his own and moving in a way that seemed like they were dancing.

Her thighs rubbed against his, the feel of her breasts pressed against his abs reminded him just how much shorter she was. He felt a knee slip dangerously past his own, her hip pressing deliciously against his growing arousal and sending a muffled moan from his throat.

The noise only spurred her on, a quiet mewl of her own joining his as he finally un-balled his fists and grabbed for her sides, his fingers digging into the muscle beneath the suit. Instead of pushing her away, he tried desperately to pull her closer, his head lifting from his position pressed against the door frame and forcing their kiss deeper, harder, as he tried to bend down for a better angle.

Her hip gave a sudden thrust against the hardness between his legs, his body jerking in response as a wave of heat rushed through his body. He felt himself buck against her on pure instinct, dying to chase the sweet sensation.

Instead of feeling more pleasurable pressure, he felt her remove her leg and take a step back, separating their bodies. Yet with her grip still ever present in his sweatshirt, he had no choice, but to follow.

He was vaguely aware that they'd crossed the threshold of the cabin's entrance and were now fumbling around in a very dark and very cramped living quarters. Ladybug had opted to walk backwards, pulling him along with her lips still pressed against his until suddenly, Ladybug bumped into something hard.

Releasing the grip of one of her hands, she felt behind her for the offensive object, the sound of smaller objects getting knocked over filled the room before she gave a pleasurable hum after identifying her target. With a quick hop, she was now sitting atop what was most-likely a table, her knees at Adrien's hip height.

Their kiss had died down in passion as they had tried to gain their bearings, but with Ladybug happy with her new footing, she snaked her free hand back up Adrien's chest till it draped over his shoulder and around his neck, using the leverage it gave her to pull him flush against her once more.

Her legs had parted to make room for him between her knees, her calves moved to hold him against her as they pressed against his hips, her ankles hooking behind his thighs. The new position brought a much more intense pressure against the firm flesh in his pants, the need to grind himself forward over-riding his want to not cross any boundaries.

His thrust was met with a whimper from Ladybug as she pulled her head away and broke their kiss, her moan echoing in the stillness of the cabin. She tried her best to roll her hips forward without falling off the table, using her ankles tucked tightly behind his legs to pull him against her again. Her hand still balled in his sweatshirt shot up to his face as she blindly tried to guide her lips back to his.

She missed, hitting the corner of his lips as he thrust forward again. She tried again, this time hitting his lower lip and pulling it between her teeth, giving it a quick nibble that made him twitch forward, a soft sigh escaping his lips.

With another roll of her hips and pull from her legs, he felt her hand slip up the side of his face and into his hair, her fingers digging into the back of his head as she pushed him slightly away from her mouth. She began to trail sloppy kisses down his jaw, down his neck till she found his pulse racing beneath his skin.

Another thrust from him and she latched onto throbbing with teeth and tongue and lips. It was everything he'd done to her behind the lifeguard stand, but now he was on the receiving end. The feeling of having her marking him again sent shivers down his spine, all ending at one focal point that was growing harder than he thought possible by the second. He released the hands at her sides as he practically fell forward on top of her, his now free hands slamming against the tabletop by her hips to steady himself as she continued her attack on his neck.

The double sensations were almost too much for him. His knees were threatening to buckle and his head was swimming. He needed to change positions, he need to get off his feet.

Slowly, Adrien opened his eyes. The room was dark, the only light coming in was almost all, but blocked from the curtains that hung on the circular windows lining the walls. He could make out the small breakfast nook Ladybug was sitting on, the empty vase, salt and pepper shakers, and a napkin holder full of napkins that had fallen onto the cushioned seats and floor probably what those sounds were earlier.

Ladybug gave another strong suck to his throat and he felt his vision sway, his eyes slam shut as he groaned deeply, his thighs beginning to quiver with the strain of staying standing. When he opened his eyes again, he searched for a flat, soft surface with more gusto, his need to get off his feet growing almost faster than his need to rut against her inner thighs.

Finally, he saw a couch just a little further into the cabin. There weren't many obstacles between the nook and there, should be easy enough to get to. With a goal in mind, Adrien mustered up what little strength he had left and moved his hands to push Ladybug's legs more tightly around him. She took the hint and he felt her thighs slip over his, her calfs moving against his backside as her ankles hooked around one another.

Unfortunately, this position granted a better angle for her to grind against him and he felt himself almost sob with the effort to stay standing as his lower half met her thrust with his own. Without wasting another second, Adrien shoved his hands under Ladybug's ass and lifted her off the table.

Ignoring how her squeak of surprise only vibrated pleasantly against the tender spot she was making on his neck, he turned and pushed forward towards the couch, taking the few steps needed with the largest strides he could muster. Once the soft plushness of the cushions bumped into his shins, he crumpled forward, pinning her against the pillowy seats and groaning as the much needed pressure against his groin amplified immensely.

Ladybug echoed his sentiment with a moan of her own, releasing his neck from her torture and snapping her head back.

"A-Adrien..!" Ladybug's voice was hoarse, dry, and hitched at the end as Adrien turned the momentum from their fall into a rhythm of thrusts, her legs still wrapped around his hips and back.

"Yes, Ladybug, god yes." Adrien hissed the last word as he gave into his desire and rut into the heroine beneath him. He could see that mental cup in his mind begin to fill again, but it felt like he was trying to run in water. Now that his legs had been freed from the weight, they were weak from the effort, practically numb.

His rhythm was off and he was losing the battle as he tried to use a hand on the arm of the couch behind their head for leverage. It was starting to feel like a battle against his own body as he felt his brows crease and eyes closed tight.

Then he felt a push against a shoulder and a pull against the opposite hip. Ladybug had wormed an arm down between their bodies and hooked a finger through a belt loop above his hip.

"Switch," She said, breathlessly, giving the pant loop another tug and his shoulder another nudge. Adrien opened his eyes lazily, his mind filled with so many other sensations, it took him an extra second to process exactly what she meant.

Getting the hint, he moved to lay beside her as she rolled on top of him. It was much more of a fluid motion than he thought and before he knew it, Ladybug was on top of him.

No, not on top of him.

Riding him.

' _Ladybug is riding me_ ,' Adrien's thought process stopped, those words just echoing against the empty walls of his mind as he watched her lean over him, her hands going to his shoulders for balance. She looked amazing, her face flushed and red, her lips plump and bruised, her eyes half-lidded through the mask. He trailed his eyes down her body, noting how her breasts heaved with every breath she took, how small her waist was beneath his hands, how her stomach tightened as he slid them down to her hips.

Suddenly, his vision went white as she rolled her hips forward into his crotch, the added pressure from her weight sending pulse waves of pleasure shooting through him.

"F-Fuuuuck. Ladybug…"

This time, it was Adrien's turn to throw his head back and grind it into the seat cushions. The hands at her hips jerked and dug into the peaks just above the swell of her thighs, his thumbs moving in slow, sensual circles just inside the bone. He could feel the muscle of her lower abdomen tense as he continued his movements, carefully getting lower and lower with each cycle.

Ladybug's hands on his shoulders balled into fists, her arms shaking. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his with her eyes closed tightly and lips slightly parted, her warm breath ghosting over his still wet lips.

"Adrien…mmm—more," She pleaded, a whimper escaping her lips as his thumbs grew ever closer to the place between her thighs.

Before he could stop it, a small chuckle slipped through his lips, the action causing the rigid muscles of his stomach to send a shock through his body.

"Anything for you, My Lady," He realized his mistake only after the words had left his lips, panic spreading through his body like ice cold water scorching the flame inside him. Perhaps she wouldn't notice, maybe she didn't even hear him?

But as he watched Ladybug's eyes slowly open, the lust that once clouded them now ebbing away to show confusion, he knew she'd heard him just fine. He knew he'd fucked up.

Adrien wanted to backpedal, he wanted to take it back, or cover it up with a kiss or maybe a joke. He'd made the mistake of letting his dream blend with reality. His dream Ladybug, who knew he was Chat, who wanted him anyway, who he had spent many nights in similar positions with, only in his room instead of on some stranger's couch.

What could he do to fix this? Reveal himself? Say ' _By the way, did I forget to mention I'm Chat Noir_ '? No, Ladybug had made it clear she didn't see Chat in that way, despite his many advances, but she seem to be able to see Adrien that way. If she learned that they were one in the same, would she stop liking Adrien? Would she see him as nothing more than a partner, as she sees Chat?

He didn't want to find out.

"Adrien…?" Ladybug asked, her voice slightly slurred, but her eyes growing more and more focused and clear.

 ** _BE-BEEP_**

The two jumped at the noise, Ladybug's hand instinctively shooting to an earring, the confusion wiped from her face, replaced with shock and worry at the impending warning from her miraculous. Adrien watched as Ladybug collected herself, closing her eyes and sighing, her forehead still pressed against his, her breath still warm on his face. He wanted to kiss her again, he wanted to hold her and keep her with him, even if just for a little bit longer.

Without realizing, he had removed a hand from her hip and placed it on the side of her face, cradling her cheek and brushing the edge of the mask with his thumb. When she opened her eyes again, he tried to force his own to look as warm and welcoming as he could.

"Don't go," His voice trails off as he lifts his head off the couch, guiding his lips to meet hers in a soft, delicate kiss. He pulls back just enough to talk, his lips still brushing against hers as they move. "Stay. I won't look."

He'd made such a fool of himself letting the pet name slip. He was scared, worried that if she left now, he'd never see her again. At least not like this. Not like he wanted.

A chuckle reached his ears as he felt Ladybug's lips turn up into a smile just before she kissed him back with a little more force.

"Sorry, no can do, handsome boy. Maybe next time." Adrien's eyes open wide as the words sink in, Ladybug's lips closing over his once more before quickly untangling herself from him and removing herself from the couch entirely.

A little unsteady on her feet, she hastily makes her way towards the still open doorway, undoing the string for her yo-yo from around her waist and removing the key from it's knot. Stopping just inside the doorway, she looks down at the Lucky Charm item in her hand, then back to the very disheveled boy still sprawled on the couch.

"Goodnight, Adrien," Ladybug says, her voice soft and gentle. The sound of it sent shivers up Adrien's spine, the unfiltered, unbridled love that she used to say it, but before he could say anything back, she had turned on her heel and fled outside, jumping onto the dock and out of sight.

Adrien stared after her a few moments more before he suddenly heard the loud cry of ' _Miraculous Ladybug_ ' resonate through the night. Just as always, the familiar red and pink light swept over everything they'd touched or destroyed; the door closed, the salt and pepper shaker, along with the empty vase and napkin holder full of napkins were now righted back on the breakfast nook, even a pillow that had fallen off the couch was now under his feet and back in it's original position.

He swung his feet over the side, his legs shaking a little from the earlier excitement, his knees still feeling slightly weak as he pushed himself off the couch. Now that Ladybug was gone, the reality of it all slowly began to set in.

Quickly, he looked around the room for a mirror or reflective surface. He was sure to be sporting yet another Ladybug-sized mark on his neck and needed to see it's wonder—er, damage—as soon as possible. Spotting an unused kettle on the small stove by the breakfast area, he figured that would have to do as he made his way over to it and picked it up, looking at his warped reflection on the metal surface.

From what he could make out, his hair was a rat's nest, his face was blotchy and his lips were a deep red, bruised more than likely. He angled the reflective surface downwards, spotting the large red mark beginning to form half-way up his neck. There wasn't a sweatshirt in the world that was going to be high enough to hide that. Even turtlenecks didn't go that high.

He put the kettle back on the burner as he found it, knowing without probing that this one was sure to be as tender as yesterday's. He scratched at the back of his head, attempting to somewhat reorganize his hair into a normal manner as he made his way towards the door.

He would have to run some makeup tests once he got back to the hotel room before bed. He could not let Nino find these on him on their way home. The last thing he needed was rumors to start spreading that _the Adrien Agreste_ made out with a local islander during a school field trip. All he'd need is his father to find out and his days of public school would be over.

As he reached down and slipped his fingers into the handle of the door, he had a deja-vu moment from when he'd tried to open the door for Ladybug earlier. In fact, when had the door closed in the first place?

Then it dawned on him. The salt and pepper shakers, the napkins, the pillow on the couch. Everything had returned to the way it was before Ladybug had used her Lucky Charm. But that couldn't mean that—

Could it?

Adrien looked down at his hand, poised to pull the door open and head back to the hotel room to begin a game of 'let's play hide the hickey'. He couldn't be locked inside, Ladybug wouldn't do that.

He pulled at the handle and the familiar sound of the metal rattling resounded, but the door didn't budge.

It was locked. Again.

"Fuck," Adrien looked at the door like it had betrayed him. The door was one that didn't have lock controls on the inside, protection from burglars entering by breaking a window and undoing the lock from the opposite side. His father had requested them for their own yacht after someone had broken in when he was little.

But, his bad luck remained in tact. He was trapped inside the cabin and without Plagg to use Cataclysm to make a speedy exit. He had his phone on him, so he could always call for help, but that was a conversation he wanted to avoid at all costs with anyone on the other end.

Looking around the room again, he sought to find an alternate exit. Maybe the owners hid a spare key somewhere in the residence, or a crowbar. As he looked to the side, he noticed light pouring in from the outside street lamps on the dock. A window's curtain had been left pulled back facing the pier he and Ladybug had entered from. As he walked over to it, a plan began to form. He might not be able to unlock the door, but he could unlock a window, right?

Sure enough, once he made it over to the glass pane, the window had a lock that was easily undone from the inside and would safely snap back into place once closed. He could leave the cabin as they'd found it, locked up nice and tight, and no one would need to be the wiser.

Undoing the snap lock and sliding the window to the side, a gust of fresh cool night air flooded into the small confined spaced. He hadn't realized how warm they had made the cramped room, but the chill from the breeze sent him pulling his hood up over his ears.

Looking out through the window, he could see the dock's edge a few feet away, probably three to four feet distance. Easily jumpable for Chat Noir. Even in his civilian form.

Adrien hoisted himself up onto the windowsill and sprung forward towards the pier. The edge of the dock was slightly higher than the window itself, but he'd gained enough height form the push off to land with a soft tap of shoes hitting wood. Looking around him quietly while he stayed hunched in his landing position, he found the cost to be clear and gave himself a pass for a little victory fist bump into the air for a job well done.

He looked back towards the yacht only to finally see his mistake. The window remained open. It's not like he could have jumped from the window and closed it behind him at the same time. Walking up to the edge once more, he looked at the distance.

Three to four feet was a good estimate, it was definitely too far for him to reach without using more than half his height. And with no lamp posts near the window, there was nothing to hold onto to prevent him from falling in, but he couldn't leave it open. His conscious would not allow it.

With a heavy sigh, he threw back his hood and stretched his arms. This was going to take some coordination. And maybe a little bit of luck.

Adrien lined up his toes with the edge of the pier and fell forward, his arms out in front of him to catch himself against the side of the yacht. He easily held his own weight, but the side of the boat was slipperier than he expected, and he found trying to balance himself against one hand was proving to take a bit more muscle than he'd originally anticipated.

Carefully, he shifted his center of gravity so that he lined himself up with his main supporting arm and reached for the window with his now freed up hand. He was too high to reach the center of the window to slide it shut easily, but he could press his hand against the glass and slowly edge it closed.

Once the click of the window's lock snapping back into place was heard, he sighed a breath of relief.

' _See, I got this. Who needs Plagg, I'm Chat Noir without the suit!_ ' Adrien smiled to himself, imagining the cold shiver probably passing over the unknowing kwami as he sleep on surrounded by his bags of cheese.

Now, he just needed to put enough strength into his arms to give himself a good shove back upright and he'd be on his way, with no one the wiser. As he went to shift his weight back to both arms, there was one thing he'd forgotten in the short time span he'd been leaning against the side of the boat.

The boat was wet. The boat was slippery.

And Adrien slipped right off the side.

* * *

Just so everyone's aware, this isn't the end, I will be continuing. This is just the end of the "Beach" prompt that started this whole thing. If you have any prompt ideas you'd like to see incorporated into the story, please feel free to leave them on miraculous-prompt-trash,tumblr!

I feed off of your great ideas!


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of wet shoes hitting pavement was starting to grate on his nerves. It didn't help that the cold night wind was making him feel like a wet popsicle and his soaked through hoodie was doing little to guard against the bitter cold.

His shoes were starting to remind him of a lava lamp. With every step he took, he could feel the water seep up from the soles and squish in between his toes. The feeling was completely unpleasant and not at all how he envisioned ending the night.

Adrien walked through the double doors to the hotel with ease, thankful that his luck had held out for once and they had remained unlocked throughout the night. He dragged his feet through the pristine lobby, leaving a trail of wet footprints in his wake, and up the stairs towards his shared room.

He quietly opened the door and peeked inside. The lights were still on, the TV still playing the character select music for _Mario Kart 8_ , and it seemed as though a good number of his classmates had been playing until they literally passed out.

Alix and Kim were sitting on the floor at the end of the bed, controllers long forgotten in their hands. His head had lolled back onto the mattress, legs out straight in front of him and hands holding the controller loosely in his lap. Alix lay next to him on her side, her head nestled on his upper thigh and her knees brought up to her chest. Her controller was still grasped tightly in one hand while the other rested beside her face.

As Adrien made his way further into the room, he noticed even his own bed had occupants. Max was laid out across the foot of the bed, his hands clasped together over his chest, making him resemble a vampire sleeping in his coffin. Ivan had sprawled out up by the pillows, one under his head while the other was in a death grip in his arms, held closely to his chest. It was an interesting site to see, overall.

' _Well, guess I'm bunking with Nino tonight_ ', Adrien thought as he reached for his bag under the bed, carefully throwing the strap over his shoulder and making a beeline for the bathroom.

Once the door was closed and locked behind him, he turned the lights on, the hum of the halogen bulb overhead singing to life and lighting up the room with a harsh and unforgiving light. Adrien caught himself glancing at the mirror from sheer force of habit. His reflection was a mess. His hair was still wet and stuck to his head in places, his face still blotchy from the cold air, and his clothes a disaster.

He placed his bag on the counter and began peeling his clothes off, forgoing unzipping the sweatshirt for just pulling it, along with this undershirt, directly over his head. He let them both fall into the tub with a wet thud. The action had disrupted his hair so that a few fresh trickles of water began to run down his bare back.

Grabbing for a towel, he quickly moved to dry his neck and hair, rubbing the soft dry fabric roughly against his head. He closed his eyes and loved the feel of the somewhat massaging action. When he opened his eyes again, his own disheveled image stared back at him, looking fresh from a shower despite the two large discolorations he was sporting on the side of his nape.

Adrien stared at the marks with wide green eyes, leaning closer to get a better look. The mark he had gained yesterday was now darkening to a deep burgundy ringed with lighter tones of reds and pinks, causing it to stand out against his slightly tanned skin. It was more on his shoulder then his neck, and easily covered by his shirt. Yet as he studied the bruise, he could not help but compare it to the new one he sported much higher up.

The new hickey was smaller, but already rivaling the first for color. It was just as dark, yet more concentrated, roughly the size of his thumbprint and positioned just slightly askew from his pulse. He tilted his head slightly to the side to see how sore his new branding would be when stretched, and sure enough a dull throb erupted from the movement. Adrien hissed at the pain before letting his head return to its original position.

' _Smaller does not mean less sore. Got it._ '

"Nice new 'bug bite' you got there."

Adrien jumped at the voice that echoed in the otherwise silent room, his eyes flying down to his bag to see two gleaming green cat eyes peering up at him from a small opening created by the zipper. Plagg had obviously grown tired of waiting for his charge to open the bag and had taken the liberty of doing so himself. The quantic god zipped out and into the air with a twirl now that he'd had his fun spying.

The cat kwami's cheshire grin was large and ever present as he landed on the towel still resting atop Adrien's head. He gave a quick chuckle as he made eye contact through the mirror, his impossibly wide grin widening even more.

"Have fun tonight, hmm? Out with your girlfriend again?" Plagg teased, his tail swishing back and forth, it's tip peeking out from behind Adrien's head every time the cat god flicked it.

"She's not my girlfriend," Adrien protested, feeling his face heat up at the thought. "And keep your voice down, everyone's asleep."

The kwami gave an absent look to the bathroom door like it was barely worth his time before scoffing dramatically, his tails twitching growing in ferocity.

"Like I care! You didn't have to listen to them yell and scream all night over some stupid video game," Plagg groaned, his eyes staying on the door only for a moment more before turning his attention back to his charge's reflection. The devilish grin quickly returned to his little black-furred face. "So why are you wet? Need to take a cold swim after being out with your not-girlfriend all night?"

Adrien felt his face heat up considerably as he let the implications sink in. Sure, getting dunked in the icy cold marine water had definitely extinguished his earlier fire from the evening, but it had not been exactly welcome. Or planned.

With a sigh to clear his head, he swiftly reached his hands up to the towel and rubbed his hair, dislodging the kwami into the air with a grunt of disapproval. He dried his hair as best he could, not daring to turn on the blow dryer at this hour, and continued to change for the night.

He had spent longer than he felt comfortable admitting when he picked out each outfit he had packed for the trip. His pajamas were no exception. Originally, he had thought to bring the limited edition Ladybug Logo t-shirt that he had ordered online, the black shirt being made from a soft stretch cotton that was thin yet warm, but he had thought against it last minute for fear of what his friends might think of his weird obsession.

However, there was no way he could pass up the soft and fuzzy matching pants, red with their black spots. The spots were not accurately placed, but he couldn't blame the manufacturer for this slip in detail. Not everyone got to study Ladybug as closely as he did.

After slipping off his soaked pants and boxers, he pulled on a dry pair and his Ladybug patterned pants, feeling his muscles relax at the familiar feel against his legs. He grabbed a basic black t-shirt and pulled that over his head, the towel falling to the floor to join the rest of his wet clothes.

He breezed through his nightly routine, skipping the step he would usually take to remove his makeup from the day and jumped straight from brushing his teeth to combing through his hair. Pulling a larger ziplock bag out of his duffel, he quickly bagged up his wet clothes and shoved them into the bottom of his bag. He hoped they would dry by time he got home so he would not have to explain why he had gone swimming with his clothes on.

With a quick signal to Plagg, the little kwami slipped in between the open zipper and snuggled comfortably into a second sweatshirt Adrien had packed. He took one last sidewards glance at his reflection, his blond hair astray and his cheeks and nose still flushed. With a final sigh, he turned off the light and opened the door

No one had moved in the time it took him to change, his friends still sleeping away unknowingly as he went around to turn things off. Once the TV was powered down, the sudden silence was almost deafening. Kim's subtle snoring at the end of Nino's bed easily overpowered the sound of the others' breathing.

Adrien took a seat on the side of Nino's mattress closest to his own, slipping his duffle bag underneath the bed before slipping underneath the covers and turning off the last remaining light in the room. Now submerged in darkness, Adrien stared at the ceiling and let his thoughts ghost over the actions of the trip.

Meeting Ladybug, kissing her, being kissed back, the beach, the lifeguard post, the yacht. It was a lot to take in, and the more he tried to focus on the details, the more he felt sleep pull him under.

"Goodnight, Plagg," Adrien yawned as he rolled onto his side, bringing the blankets up over his shoulders.

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs—oops, too late," Plagg teased, his cat-like laughter slipping up from the open bag.

"Plagg!" Adrien groaned, lifting himself up and reaching down to silence the little god.

"Sorry, forgot you were into that sort of thi—"

Adrien quickly shut the zipper, silencing the kwami for good before sighing heavily and falling back against the pillow. Before he could let his friend's words affect him, he gave up the fight with his eyelids and fell into sleep's sweet embrace.

—

The morning sun peeked through a small opening in the curtains, its warm light hitting Adrien right across the eyes. It woke him from a deep sleep, his dream being washed away as he felt his body begin preparations to get up.

He tested his muscles, feeling the soreness in his arms and back like he had been sleeping on a bed of needles instead of a soft mattress all night. His throat was incredibly dry and his lips felt like they might crack if moved them.

Carefully, he peeled open one eye, waiting as his surroundings came into focus and listening as the stirrings of the room's occupants started to drift through the air. He could hear Nino behind him groan loudly as the boy sat up and stretched, the bed creaking with the movement. Adrien rolled onto his back, his stomach aching with the action as he pushed the blanket off his shoulders and down to rest around his waist.

The room was sweltering now that the sun was up and no one had thought to turn on the air conditioning last night. Another groan from the bed opposite the boys let him know they weren't the only ones awake.

"Morning, Nino," Adrien said, his voice deep from sleep and his throat squeezing around every word, aching for water.

"Ugghh…" The dark-skinned boy resounded, rubbing his eyes before stretching again. He lifted his arms above his head and sighed as a satisfying pop echoed from his back. "What time is it?"

Adrien struggled to open an eye and glanced at the alarm clock on the small table between the beds. The red numbers showed that it was barely past eight in the morning, meaning they had about twenty minutes until the front desk would call all the students' rooms for their wake up call so as to signal the start of their day.

"Late," he answered with a sigh of his own. He wanted nothing more than to turn the AC on and curl back up into bed, but today was the final day of their trip. Traveling day. Meaning everyone had to pack up and be ready to go right after breakfast, but he wanted a shower before all of that could happen.

Correction. He _needed_ a shower.

Adrien turned his head back towards his friend, both eyes now open to see if the laziness was mutual. Instead, he found Nino staring at him with wide, unobstructed eyes. Normally, his best friend needed his glasses to see two feet in front of his face, but Adrien had to have been within that short range of distance, and whatever his DJing friend had seen caught his undivided attention.

The blond boy knew he must have been a sight. He had barely dried his hair before going to bed and knew even without reaching up to feel it that it must have been a rat's nest from sleep. His face was most likely still blotchy and red and without the makeup he normally wore to cover his imperfections, this was probably the first time he was really being seen by anyone outside his father and co-workers in the modeling industry.

He felt a nervous giggle begin to bubble up from his throat. The unwavering stare was starting to worry him. Was he really that bad looking right now? Was there something on his face?

"Uh, Nino?" Adrien asked, a small, nervous chuckle slipping up at the end.

"Is that a hickey?!" Nino yelped loudly, his eyes immediately squinting as he leaned closer for a better look.

Adrien's hand shot up to his neck, clasping his palm over the abrasions he knew were there, but the deed was done. His friend had seen the truth. And brought it to the attention of everyone else in the room. Very loudly.

"Wha…?" Max groaned as he lifted his head. His bedmate, Ivan, sat up slowly and echoed a similar moan of confusion at the noise.

But Adrien's attention was now solely zoned in on Nino, and Nino's on him.

"Where'd you get a hickey?! When did you get it? Is it from someone in town? Is it from someone in CLASS?!" Nino was practically bouncing in place on the bed between each word, his face lit up like Alya's whenever she sniffed a scoop. The duo truly were two peas in a pod, that was for sure.

"Adrien's got a hickey?" Ivan asked, now fully awake and sitting upright at the head of the opposite bed, pillow still clutched in his large arms.

"Wow, nice, dude! Lemme' see!" Kim's excited voice was still slurred from sleep as he peered over the edge of the foot of the bed, a loud thump resounding as he moved to get a better angle. Alix's voice bellowed from the floor, her head hitting the ground with a lot of force after slipping off of the pillow she had been making of Kim's leg.

"What the hell?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her head, her hat falling off in the process as she mussed her hair more.

"Adrien has a hickey!" Nino's bouncing had escalated until he was shaking the whole bed, the mattress creaking in protest.

"You know, hickeys can actually cause a blood clot in the blood vessels of the neck that could lead to paralysis, or in some rare cases, a stroke," Max said as he adjusted his glasses on his face, moving to brush his hands down his shirt to smooth out any wrinkles that may have happened during the night.

"Who cares?! They're hot!" Alix cried out, practically jumping onto the bed and pushing Kim out of the way for a better look. A piece of retribution for the disruption of her sleep, no doubt.

Adrien had kept his hand dutifully clamped over his neck, effectively hiding the marks from sight, but incapable of hiding the hot red color bursting across his cheeks. With his free hand, he reached for the blankets that had pooled around his waist and yanked them high over his head, hiding beneath them like a child hiding from the boogey man under the bed.

"Come on, guys, this is a sensitive subject. Best friends first!" Nino reached under the blanket and grabbed his friend's upper arm, effectively pulling him out from under the covers. With another bounce, Nino was off the bed and dragging Adrien towards the bathroom in one motion, slamming the door shut behind them before forcing the lock to click into place.

The bathroom light hummed to life and flooded the room with a blinding white light. Adrien caught himself looking to the mirror again on instinct, just as he had the night before.

As he had expected, he was a wreck. His hair was sticking out in every direction, some of it straight off his head like it was held in place by gel. His face was a mess and the blood which currently flushed into his cheeks and across his nose was exceptionally noticeable. The hand he was still holding tightly to his neck was, thankfully, covering both of the kiss marks completely.

Hurray for small miracles.

"Alright, dude, spill," Nino said, releasing his grip on Adrien's upper arm as he squinted at the boy from across the tiled floor. In his haste to get his best friend to a more private area, he had forgotten to grab his much-needed glasses. As it was, he was stuck with seeing the world through a foggy haze of blurred edges and missed details.

"There's really nothing to say…?" Adrien tried for innocence, turning his focus away from his own disheveled reflection and looking at his friend's squinting face.

Nino's hair was fluffier than normal. The strands in the front were sticking up in a rebellious fashion, not having been flattened to his head from wearing his hat all day. It made him look younger.

"Nothing to say?!" Nino's voice echoed off the tiles as he yelled, his face scrunching up as he spoke. "Come _ON_ , man! I'm your best bud! You can't hold out on me like this. You don't go and mack on someone and _not_ tell your best friend."

"Nino, I'm not—" Yet Adrien's words fell dead on his lips. He knew he could not lie, especially to Nino, his first real friend. He could not do that to him, but there was no way he could tell him the truth either. Besides, who would believe him if he said that he had been making out with the Ladybug all weekend.

Sighing loudly, Nino put a hand on Adrien's shoulder as he shook his head, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Listen, I won't ask if you don't want me to, but you're my best friend, Adrien. If you can't trust me, who can you trust, am I right?" Nino slid his arm to drape around the blonde boy's shoulders loosely, his forearm bumping into the hand still clasped protectively over the marks on the model's neck.

Adrien glanced at Nino's face out of the corner of his eye. He saw the easy-going, relaxed expression he knew his friend wore when he was trying to make Adrien feel comfortable. It was not often that he saw it, but it was an expression he knew.

And it always worked.

Adrien sighed, feeling his shoulders relax visibly as he lowered his hand, the cool air of the room hitting the warmed area like a bite.

"Wow! Holy— it's huge!" Nino quickly leaned in closer for a better look, squinting harder as he tried to force his eyes into focus. "Is that…are there _two?!_ "

Adrien felt the blush deepen on his face and neck. It was like he had grown a third arm or a second head by the way his friend was examining it. Suddenly, a sharp spike of pain erupted from his neck, causing him to jump back and out from under Nino's arm.

"Ow!" he yelped as his hand flew up to hide the marks on his neck once more.

"Heh, damn, she got you good, huh?" Nino's hand was still up in the air by his face, his index finger still pointing where Adrien's neck had been when he had poked it.

"Don't—Don't touch it!" Adrien protested, lowering his hand slowly from his neck as he looked Nino accusingly. "It's still sore..."

"Dude! I can't believe you'd make-out with somebody and not tell me! That's so sick!" With a flourish of his arms in the air, Nino held out a closed first towards Adrien, waiting patiently for his fist bump to be returned. Adrien felt a smile pull at the corners of his lips, his earlier embarrassment and nervousness slowly easing away.

Adrien raised his hand and returned the bro handshake to his friend, watching as the normally bespectacled boy smiled widely at the gesture. His friend immediately flew into a series of questions; what was she like, where did we meet, did he know her, what line did he use that got her to do that.

His mind began to wander, replaying the scenes in his head as he answered each of Nino's questions with a memory. The first time he saw Ladybug swing down from a roof and land with the softest of sounds on the pavement. The way her eyes lit up when she smiled. How her suit felt against his palms, the texture of it, the feel of muscle underneath. Especially how her thighs would tense when he would drag his hands up—

Adrien quickly coughed to clear his head, nearly choking on his own tongue. Nino quickly asked if he was alright before sliding right back into his barrage for information. The questions had started to drift at random, ranging from the birds and the bees to effective methods of hiding the evidence.

One would think Nino was interrogating him for future reference.

That was when suddenly it dawned on him. He was going to need to hide the markings more effectively until they wore off. And judging from what Nino had just rambled on about, simple cover up was not going to cut it.

"Wait, hold on. What did you just say about cover up?" Adrien asked, interrupting Nino mid-question about appropriate times for sexting.

"Did you even get her number?" Nino asked undeterred.

"Uh, she's not really the type of girl to text—" Adrien answered, almost automatically allowing his train of thought to lean back towards Ladybug with a sigh. With another quick shake of his head, he tried to keep his eyes on the prize. "—but back to my question. Cover up?"

"Oh, for the hickeys?" Nino's face fell slightly as his marathon of probing questions was over, but with a shrug, he thought back to his earlier remark. "Yeah, you can't use like normal foundation. That shit won't hide anything. You have to, like, mask the color with another color, then cover that with foundation, then powder."

Nino stacked his hands one on top of the other, trying to show the process of layering the makeup. With a shrug, he put his hands on his hips and threw a knowing smirk towards his friend.

"I always looked at it like I was building a house. You gotta lay the base before you start building the roof, ya know?" Nino said with a laugh.

Adrien nodded absentmindedly, mentally jotting down notes to stow away for future reference, when suddenly a question began nagging at the back of his mind.

"Wait, Nino, have you had a hickey before?" Adrien asked, watching as his friend's confident and playful face fell to a look of shock and horror.

"W-What?! I—uh, I—n-no!" Nino stuttered, his calm demeanor from earlier gone as he shook in his place.

"You have! Nino! Who was it? When?" Adrien was shocked he had guessed right. He wasn't blind, but he also wasn't the quickest person when it came to social cues, he knew that.

"It wasn't— I mean, it's not like it was often—I don't think she'd like it if I talked abou—"

" _If you can't trust your best friend, who can you trust?_ " Adrien repeated Nino's earlier words back at him, now donned with his own smug expression. He, for one, was pleased with himself at how the tables had turned.

Nino's eyes locked with Adrien's as the words sunk in. Before he could think of a rebuttal, a loud knock came from behind the bathroom door.

"Twenty minutes, boys. Please be packed and meet downstairs for breakfast."

It was Ms. Blanc with the morning check-in. There was muffled noise from the other room's occupants as their classmates most likely panicked in fear of having been caught breaking the rules. But just as quickly as she had come, she was gone, the sound of her knocking on the door to the room beside theirs just barely echoing through.

Nino and Adrien turned back to each other, eyes wide and shock clear on both of their faces. It was Nino that broke the silence first, a smile cracking his face and laughter bouncing off the tile walls. Adrien's chuckles followed shortly after, the two nearly in tears by time they were done. Nino wiped at his face with his hand before running it through his hair and sighing loudly.

"Alright, one problem at a time. Let's get that branding of yours taken care of before the guys knock down the door and really start demanding answers, K?" Nino asked, hands back on his hips and smile high-spirited once more.

"Sure, but I'm not letting you off the hook that easy," Adrien said with a chuckle in his voice. "After we get home, I want details, _best friend_."

Nino laughed at the threatening, yet playful tone his friend used to address him. He shook his head while his laughter died down, looking to Adrien and smiling wildly, bringing his fist up for another friendly bump.

"Deal."

—

The boys quickly concealed Adrien's love bites and by time they left the safety of the bathroom, their shared room was empty. The others had most likely left to pack and head downstairs.

Nino's bag had been turned upside down sometime throughout the night so that his contents were strewn across the floor by the air conditioner. Max had already unplugged the game console and controllers and taken it with him when he had left the room earlier, but left the pile of games that Nino had brought from home.

Adrien reached under the bed and carefully slid his bag out into the open, placing it on top his own bed and dragging the zipper open slowly. The moment he had gotten the zipper one inch down, a pair of glowing green eyes glared at him through the opening. It was a sight that he expected, but still sent a shiver up his spine nevertheless.

The cat god was not one to be messed with or ignored. Since his weakness against plastic ziplock bags had been discovered, Adrien knew he was walking a fine line between peaceful order and utter chaos. Before he could open the bag any further, Plagg forced a plastic covered piece of camembert through the opening, the zipper jerking open to accommodate the sizable portion loudly.

With a quick glance back towards his friend, he saw that Nino was too busy frantically digging through his own belongings to notice the odd exchange. Adrien grabbed the bagged piece of cheese and turned the ziplock around to find the opening only to choke on laughter at what he saw.

Apparently, some time in the night or early morning, Plagg had resorted to animalistic measures in his attempt to find food. The only proof the kwami had left behind in the form of small teeth marks along the entire opening of the bag and small puncture holes by the corner the cheese had snuggled against. The sight of the chewed bag would have normally sent Adrien into hysterics, but he knew he was already on thin ice with the kwami and he worried he would not be able to lie to his friend a second time that morning with a straight face.

But hey, drastic times called for drastic measures, apparently.

Adrien popped the bag open and removed the piece of cheese from its prison, bringing it close to the zipper before two small stubs-for-arms shot out and yanked the piece from his fingers, pulling the food down into the darkness of the bag. The boy chuckled softly to himself at the sight.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Nino yelled behind him.

' _Shitshitshitshitshit!_ ' Had he been caught? Adrien screamed frantically inside his head, his mind reeling as he tried to think of an explanation that would work for why he had a small impish gremlin hiding in his bag.

Slowly, he turned around to find that Nino was not even facing him. In fact, he was still hunched over his own bag with his back to him, nearly elbow deep in one of the compartments of his backpack and items thrown across the bed.

"It's gone!" Nino cried out again, ripping a sweatshirt from inside one of the compartments and throwing it onto the bed.

"What's gone?" Adrien asked, quickly opening his own bag and grabbing a fresh change of clothes while his friend was distracted. No need to chance his friend actually spotting said little gremlin.

"My copy of Borderlands 2!" Nino pushed the bag away from him in a huff before storming over to where the console had been sitting earlier, looking behind the TV and checking behind the desk it sat on.

Adrien closed his bag and removed his sleep shirt as he watched his friend frantically search for the game. Once he had switched his pants for a clean pair of jeans, he glanced at Nino to make sure the coast was clear. When he found Nino scrambling on the floor, he opened his bag, crammed his dirty clothes in, and slammed the zipper shut in record time. When his friend turned around to look exasperated at him, he was sitting on the edge of the bed with all his belongings safely tucked away and tying his shoes with an air of practiced innocence.

With a heavy sigh, Nino lugged himself over to his bag and fell onto the bed, his shoulders slumped.

"Damn it, man, I hadn't even finished re-playing it yet. I'm like halfway through the campaign!" he said as he half-heartedly began shoving his stuff back into his backpack.

"Maybe Max packed it on accident?" Adrien offered.

"Yea, maybe…" Nino did not even try to hide the dejected tone in his voice as he finished closing his bag and slipped his feet into his shoes. The boy had left the laces loose so that he did not have to unite them to remove them or tie them to get them on.

"Come on, I'm sure some breakfast will make you feel better." Adrien slung an arm over Nino's shoulders as the two stood up with their respective bags in hand. The blond gave a friendly squeeze before ushering him towards the door of their shared room.

The two walked down the stairs in relative silence. Nino's mind was most likely still on the missing game while Adrien was enjoying a rare moment of quiet. The trip had been such a whirlwind from the beginning that he was starting to understand what people meant when they said they ' _needed a vacation from the vacation_ '.

Adrien ate his breakfast in a daze as his mind cataloged all the mind-blowing events of the trip. Not only had he been given some unexpected time off, and even his father's approval, but he had also been able to spend three days and two nights as just a normal boy. That was a dream in and of itself. No modeling, no photographers, no wardrobe changes, no interviews or paparazzi. Just hanging out with friends, playing video games and staying up late.

And Ladybug.

The chances of running into her this far out of the city was astronomical, but what was even more unbelievable was their encounters. _Their dates_.

Touching her, kissing her, feeling her against him. Her lips, her hands, her hips, her thighs.

The way she moaned when he rubbed a spot just right. The way she pulled when he would push. The feel of her suit texture sliding against his hands. The feel of her tongue dancing across his own.

' _Maybe next time,_ ' Ladybug's voice whispered in his mind, her parting words after their last encounter. It was not a dream, the marks on his neck were proof enough of that. But what got him even more excited than just remembering what had happened was thinking about what was to come.

By the time Adrien snapped back to reality, he was sitting on the bus as the rest of his class filed in. Nino was beside him, looking at his phone like it was the best thing on earth. Nino quickly began typing a text to someone whose name Adrien could not make out. With a heavy sigh, the dark-skinned boy locked his phone and rested his head back against the seat, his eyes closed.

After a few seconds of silence, Nino titled his head to face Adrien, peeking open an eye to look at his friend through his glasses.

"Girls, man," Nino said, sounding exasperated.

Adrien looked at his friend and saw something he had not expected to see. He saw himself. Even if the two could not share their respective 'dirty secrets' with the other, they were in the same boat. They knew each other's pain. Adrien leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes, sighing heavily as he felt his own shoulders slump to mimic Nino's.

"Yea."

The sound of the other passengers and the roar of the bus starting and pushing into gear drained away as he felt himself slip into an exhausted sleep.


End file.
